common ground - daryl dixon
by erin-park
Summary: you never know what you have until it is gone. •in progress• [book 1] the walking dead / daryl dixon season 1 - 2 !slow burn¡ [started : may 20, 2019 completed : ] erin-park 2019 *for better quality and photos, read on wattpad under the same name*
1. disclaimer

I do not own The Walking Dead, any of its plotlines or characters. I only own Nicole, Cheyanne and any other characters or original plotlines I make along the way.

****THIS IS A FANFICTION****. Do not get offended if my writing does not follow the show in verbatim. Common Ground and its successors are written by me, a fangirl who wants to make the show her own and tell her OC's story.

If you see a ********* next to a chapter, there is******_**mature content **_**mentioned somewhere in the chapter. It will not be thrown willy-nilly at every spare turn. The content is needed to tell Nicole's story. If you have a problem with it, ****do not**** read that chapter or the book(s) for that matter. It's only that simple.

Keep in mind that ****I am a 16-year-old writer****. I will make mistakes on occasion. I am still learning how to correctly write. I put these chapters through two Grammer checkers and have my Editor review it. It's all so I can try and assure you a pleasant read.

If you want to make a horrid comment about my writing style, please keep it to yourself. On the contrary, if you think that you can NICELY comment about it, feel free. It's called ****CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. ****

****Do not fight in my comments****. The initiator's comments will be removed and I will apologize to the victim in DM's on their behalf. Please keep your insults (i.e. racial slurs and homophobia) to yourself.

If I get something wrong about religion, race or sexuality, ****do not**** call me a simple-minded, piece of shit holy roller, racist or homophobe. I will have you know that none of that is true. I have plenty of people who can atest on my behalf. I am a religious person; however, I am not one of those cranky old people who believe that every other religion is incorrect and that their shit don't stink.

**_**If you are any of those things, please feel free to exit. The door is right there - that little X mark. Please, don't let it hit you on the way out. **_**

Now that this disclaimer is out of the way. I want to thank you all for reading this story and making your way through this long disclaimer. I feel sorry for you if you read this and you are a nice person. But I had to write this since it is 2019 and everyone gets offended by every little thing.

ANYWAY.

_Thank you for reading. Please enjoy._


	2. 00

****Gut-wrenching********shrieks ****filled her ears as she jogged down the sidewalk with her forty pound child on her hip. The familiar blue Chevrolet slowly got closer and closer to her. The tiny whimper of her child met her neck - the sounds of her nine-year-old daughter.

Cries teemed all around, just as the dark red seemed to splatter in every possible place. Her feet began to ache from the amount of running. Her dirty blonde hair flipped back and forth as she frantically tried to get to her car.

When she finally got to the vehicle, she raced to get it open. All she could hear was hell breaking loose behind her. Her nimble fingers finally got it open and she ushered her child into the car and slammed the door behind her.

She turned to go around to the driver side; however, there was a man stumbling toward her with his jaw hanging by a couple of ligaments. She shouted at him to go away but he didn't listen. Panic suddenly filled her before she swiftly dashed around to her side.

She turned it on at the exact moment the man slapped against her hood. Her hand yanked the gear into reverse and slammed into the gas. The man proceeded to follow her. She promptly shifted the gears into drive and sped forwards. With an outcry from both her and her daughter, the man went soaring over the roof of her automobile.

She began speeding through the hellfire and out of the Atlanta city.


	3. 01

****She only ever**** had one thing that her entire life revolved around. Day by day, the schedule never changed. Even when the world fell apart, she followed to the same routine.

Wake up.  
Keep Cheyanne healthy and alive.  
Survive.  
Sleep.  
Repeat.

In a sense, it was a daily grind of rinse and repeat. Everything they could need was packed into their car. She would've considered themselves lucky if she believed in such a thing.

It was a good thing she didn't when the engine of her beloved vehicle sputtered to a halt. As she put the vehicle in park, a silent curse escaped her chapped lips. She leaned her head against the rest allowing her lungs to fill with the musky smell of her belongings and her ears to listen to the sleeping breaths of her nine-year-old daughter.

The blonde slowly sat back up and placed her hands at the bottom of the wheel. Her exhausted green eyes gazed the surrounding area for any sign of those monsters - those cannibals. A soft sigh escaped her mouth when she realized that they could not stay locked in a vehicle forever.

Tiny whimpers came from her awaking nine-year-old as she rubbed her sleepy eyes. The mop of chocolate brown hair that sat upon her head moved as she looked at her surroundings. "Mama, why'd we stop?"

With a shuddered breath, she opened the door without responding to her daughter. Her long legs walked to the back seat where her daughter sat. The child remained silent as her mother rummaged through their things. She took the silence as her telltale sign to be quiet.

Swiftly, the woman threw an indigo-colored backpack across her shoulders while nudging a dull pink one toward the child.

"C'mon." She quietly shut the door before striding over to grasp her daughter's hand.

A distant snarl caused Cheyanne to cling close to her mother, who took that as her sign to get off of the road. They each took a step out and began walking into the forest.

As they trekked through the underbrush, though seemed to flood the older woman's brain. She never expected to be trudging through a woodland with her daughter, who wasn't even the result of her repulsive marriage. Now, she loved Cheyanne with her whole heart but it was times like this where she questioned how she got into this situation.

She never wanted her life to take such a turn as it did. When she was younger, she never wanted to be a single mother and the ex-wife to a drug dealer. Yet, her parent's pressure to be the perfect daughter succumbed her into making terrible choices.

Her thoughts soared as the wind did through the branches of the Oaks above her. A subtle tugging on her hand pulled her from her thoughts and brought her attention to the little girl beside her. "What is it, Chey?" she inquired. Cheyanne pointed to the four flesh-eating monsters that were heading toward the pair.

"Oh, shit," her mother cursed before pulling her short legs in the opposite direction. The woman's Flight or Fight instinct kicked in; she could barely take on one of the Monsters let alone four. There was no way she could take them on alone.

The monsters continued to hobble toward them even though they were quite a distance away. The blonde haired woman spotted a small cabin in the near distance. As she held onto her daughter's small hand, they made a b-line to it.

Her heart was racing. She could feel it in her fingertips and hear it in her ears. She had never run this fast in her entire thirty years. When they got to the door, she pounded on it in hopes that someone was inside.

When nobody responded and the monsters got to close to her liking, she jiggled the doorknob. It opened and the older woman dragged her daughter inside, shutting the door behind her. She took in a large amount of breath in attempts to catch her breath.

"Mama, try breathing in through your nose, out through your mouth." Cheyanne gave a big smile, "That's what Mrs. Emerson taught me," she announced cheerfully.

The woman gave a soft chuckle and ruffled Cheyanne's curly mop of brown hair. "Are we safe now?" she questioned before she peered around at the things inside the room. Her mother was about to answer but then a pounding at the door interrupted.

Snarls came from the mouths of the monsters that were outside that door - their only barrier. They had no weapons to defend themselves with and barely any food. Things couldn't possibly get any worse. The blonde woman thought as she tugged her daughter behind her.

She briskly looked around for any sign of a means of protection. She located a hunting knife sitting on one of the nearby shelves; however, there was a sudden series of _thwump_ like noises which caused the banging outside to stop.

"What the hell?" a masculine voice came from outside. This triggered a response in the fatigued woman and she hurried to grab the knife before returning to a protective stance in front of her daughter.

The cabin's door opened and she tensed up when she got a rifle and a crossbow to her face. "Whoa," the older looking man uttered as he lowered his rifle, "Daryl, put that damn thing down."

Daryl hesitantly looked at the older man before dropping his weapon and returning his gaze to the two strangers. His blue eyes met the tired green ones of the woman in front of him - they both tensed.

"What're ya doing in here?" Daryl gruffly questioned as he put his thumbnail into his mouth. The two were staring intensely at each other while standing in a defensive manner.

"The monsters were chasing us. We found this place and ran inside," Cheyanne spoke up from behind her mother. The older man quirked an eyebrow at the two.

"Ma'am, what's y'all's names?" the older man asked in the politest way he could muster.

"You first," she retorted, clutching the handle on the hunting knife tighter.

The older man chuckled. "My name is Jess Collins and this here is my nephew, Daryl Dixon."

The woman somewhat shifted from her defensive stance before lowering the hunting knife in hand. "This is my daughter, Cheyanne."

"Nice to meet ya, little miss." Jess gave the youthful girl a kind smile. "And you?"

She took a deep breath before adamantly saying, "Nicole. Nicole Allegro."


	4. 02

Nicole wasn't exactly ecstatic about Jess trying to pry into her business. She wanted to escape the monsters, not gain two more people to protect. She sure as hell didn't want to get attached to these strangers.

The blonde woman sat there on a chair in the cabin. She pondered her thoughts, trying to outweigh the pros and cons of tagging along with them. Nicole knew that the pros would prevail; but, that doesn't mean she would have to like it.

"Miss," Jess pulled her from her thoughts. "We have some food if you and your girl would like to eat." Nicole heard the scoff coming from Daryl, who sat across the room. Cheyanne looked up her mother with hopeful eyes. Nicole knew her daughter was hungry -- they hadn't eaten in days.

Nicole looked over to the brooding man, who was chewing on his thumbnail. His blue eyes met her own green as if he were anticipating her response. "If it's alright with you two," Nicole asked as she looked over to the older man.

"You've got a lil' one. She needs to eat." Jess offered a gentle smile. Nicole nodded and Cheyanne dashed over to the food.

Daryl scoffed and stormed out of the door. "Don't worry about 'im. He's just worried about his brother," Jess told the confused woman. Nicole got up and shuffled over to her daughter, who was shoving some deer jerky down her throat.

"Chey," Nicole muttered, "slow down." Jess placed a bag of saltine crackers and some peanut butter beside her. "Thank you."

Jess offered her a smile and sat down in front of her. "What're Y'all doing out here all by yourselves?" His dirty hands caressed each other on the table as he leaned toward them in honest curiosity.

Nicole took a scoop of peanut butter and put it on a saltine. Once she put it in her mouth, she savored to taste. She missed that thick consistency. She missed Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches. Nicole swallowed her food and cleared her throat. "We went to Atlanta to find my brother when it all started," her voice rasped out. "But that didn't exactly work out."

Her green eyes looked over to her daughter, who was finishing up the jerky. "We've just been in getting around any way we can."

Jess nodded in understanding. "Well, you and your Lil' one can stay with my nephew and me for as long as you want."

Nicole gave him a quiet thanks before continuing to eat. Jess got up from his seat and disappeared into the cabin. "Mama," Cheyanne's sweet voice broke the silence. "Are we gonna stay with them?"

She thought for a second before looking over to the little girl beside her. "Maybe for a little while." Nicole offered a gentle smile to her.

"Ma'am," Jess announced his presence while he held a blanket and a pillow. "You can take my room."

Nicole turned around and shook her head, "We can't take your bed."

"I insist. I can't let a woman and a lil' girl sleep on that horrible couch while I have a perfect bed to myself."

She just nodded. "Mister, thank you so much for your generosity."

Jess gave her confirming nod, before laying the pillow and blanket on the couch. As if on cue, Chey yawned in exhaustion. "C'mon. Let's get to bed."

Nicole and Cheyanne got up from their seats. Nicole grabbed their bags and her baseball bat. "Second door, to the left," Jess affirmed. Nicole gave a nod as thanks before turning the too small hallway. Daryl shut it door as they did. The two walked toward the bedroom.

They got inside and Cheyanne immediately flopped on the bed. Nicole sighed and walked over to her little girl. She pulled off her tennis shoes, placing them on the ground beside her. Her dirty hands pulled a blanket over Cheyanne before she walked around and sat down.

How'd we get here? She wondered. Nicole sighed as she unlaced her shoes. She slid her bag over to her feet and pulled out her small pocket knife. She flipped it open and placed it under her pillow.

Nicole wasn't one to trust easily. She hadn't for a long time -- not since she buried her past. She wanted to be safe rather than sorry. All she wanted to do was protect her little girl.

And she'd do anything to do it.


	5. 03

It had been a week since Nicole and Cheyanne found the cabin. Nicole was still wary of the men; Cheyanne, on the other hand, had seemed to warm up to Jess.

Daryl was a different story. He didn't know why his uncle was so dead set on having these two people stay with them. It was two extra mouths to feed -- two extra asses to cover. Daryl was never a sociable person. He didn't like having more people around than it was absolutely necessary.

The Allegro's were no different. He hated the idea of them staying here with them. He wanted to find his brother -- something he couldn't do with them here. They couldn't wield a gun and Nicole's baseball bat would only get so far.

They had barely any survival skills other than their instincts. Daryl wanted them gone. He wanted to kick them out to find their own way and not get in the way of his. He was getting tired of it.

"Daryl," Jess' voice broke him from his thoughts.

He looked up, biting at his nail. "What?"

"I've been thinkin'," Jess paused, "we need to leave. Maybe try 'n go find that brother of yours."

Daryl cocked his head. "What about them?"

Jess placed his hands on his hips, "I'm hopin' they'll come with us."

Daryl scoffed, "Why? They can't shoot. They've proven to more of a liability than anythin'."

Nicole sniggered as she leaned on the door frame behind Jess. "Nice, asshat." She pushed herself from the doorframe and marched toward the room.

"Good going, Daryl." Jess turned around to go after her. "Nicole, wait."

Inside the bedroom, Nicole was grabbing her things. "We're leaving, Jess. It's pretty obvious that we aren't wanted."

"Daryl didn't mean it like that."

She scoffed, "It's pretty damn obvious how he meant it." She pulled her pocket knife from under her pillow and closed it. "Maybe he's right. I mean, what can I do with this little pig sticker anyway?"

"We can teach you how to defend yourself. To shoot a gun. Even to hunt, if you wanted too."

"And be more of a burden than we already are? Nah, thanks, Jess." Nicole slung her bag across her back and grabbed Cheyanne's as well. She started to walk toward the man blocking her way.

"You aren't a burden, Nikki." Jess seemed to beg. He wouldn't bring it to himself that he enjoyed her company.

Nicole froze at that nickname. Nobody had called her anything other than her full name in a while. She missed her friends. She missed the students she used to teach. She missed the normalcy that she had taken for granted. She missed how normal it was for people to call her Nikki.

"Daryl's right though. We can't use guns. We can't hunt," she paused looking down to her shoes. "We are just two extra mouths for y'all to feed."

Jess' hands embraced her arms. "Nicole, we can teach you how to survive." Nicole looked up to his blue eyes. "We can learn from each other."

"How?"

Jess' hands slid from her arms as she crossed them. It was obvious she was uncomfortable with affection. "We can teach you to survive and you can teach us that trusting strangers isn't always bad."

Nicole stood silent. Her eyes scanned over Jess'. Gears in her head were turning; she tried to make sense of what he had said. "Okay."

A shocked expression appeared on Jess' face. "Okay?" he asked, "You gonna stay?"

Nicole gave a gentle smile, "We've got some things to learn." She brushed her blonde hair from her face, "I can't just leave here empty-handed, now can I?"

Jess smiled. "No, I guess you can't."


	6. 04

Daryl couldn't believe what Jess wanted to do. Teach this woman how to shoot? Teach a nine-year-old girl how to shoot? It would be nothing but a waste of ammo. Something that was not easy to find. Something that they could not afford to waste.

The four of them walked through the woods until Jess found a decent place to set up. He placed a couple of bottles on a log. He pulled out two .9mm pistols, handing each of the girls one.

"First thing to remember, is that it's not a toy." Jess looked down toward Cheyanne, who looked terrified at the thing in her hands. Nicole lowered herself down to her daughter.

"Mama, it's heavy." She complained, looking to her.

"You'll get used to it, kid." Daryl sniggered from farther away.

Jess sighed as Nicole stood back up. "They aren't loaded. You need to know a few things first." The two girls nodded. "Okay, right now, your safety is on. That means that you cannot shoot."

He walked forwards, embracing Nicole's hands. He moved her thumb to the little switch that turns it off. "That is how you turn it off." He bent down to show Cheyanne.

"Okay, pull back the top." Both of them did what he said to do. "That's your chamber -- where the bullet will go."

"You need to make sure that it is empty if you ever decide to clean it." He glanced to Daryl, who was shifting side to side. Jess knew his opinion on doing this.

"Okay," Jess pulled out two clips. "These hold 17 rounds." He handed on both the girls. "You pop it in right there," he pointed to the bottom. "You take it out by pressing that button on the grip."

Nicole looked at the weapon in hand, while Cheyanne was still scared of it. "Okay, you guys are ready." They turned toward the log two yards in front of them. "Turn the safety off."

Once again, they did as they were told. "Aim right down that notch, and right before you shoot, take a breath. I find it is easier to shoot that way."

Nicole took a small breath. "Okay, fire." Two shots went off but nothing was hit. Daryl scoffed as he became more alert. "It's okay. Y'all will get it. Try again."

After about thirty minutes, the two had managed to empty their clips and hit some targets. "Good job, Y'all. Let's head back."

The group started to make their way back to the cabin. "I appreciate you doing this, Jess." Nicole offered a smile to the man who walked beside her.

"It's my pleasure."

When they got back to the cabin, Jess asked to speak with both Daryl and Nicole. Cheyanne went into the other room to read a book that Jess had given to her.

The three sat down at the table as Jess pulled out a map of Georgia. "We're gonna need to leave soon. We can't stay here for the long haul."

"I say, we go find Merle." Daryl pointed to the map before chewing his thumbnail.

Nicole looked over to him, quirking a brow. "Merle's your brother, right?" He grunted in response.

Jess glanced between the two, before pointing to Atlanta. "Our best bet is here."

"Why in the city? Wouldn't he get outta Dodge?" Nicole inquired as she leaned against the table with her arms crossed. "It's been close to a month."

Daryl sat quietly, examining the woman beside him. Her greasy blonde hair was she pinned back in a messy bun and her skin was covered in dirt. He couldn't figure her out. He couldn't figure out why she was staying with them, especially after the shit he'd said.

"Merle wouldn' be in the city, most likely around it. Jus' gotta find him," Jess told Nicole. "We're leavin' in the morning. You don't have to come with us."

Nicole took a sharp breath. "We'll come."

A gentle smile crossed Jess' face. "Sounds like a plan then." He closed up the map and stood up. "Rest up, you two. We leave at first light."

Pounding on the front door woke up the group inside the cabin. Nicole rushed to put on her shoes and get Cheyanne ready to run. "Nicole, c'mon. We gotta go." Daryl opened up the bedroom door.

Nicole slung her backpack on her back and gave Cheyanne her's. She tucked her gun into her jeans and grabbed her baseball bat. Her hands wrapped around Cheyanne's as she tugged her out the door.

"Aw, shit. They're everywhere," Jess announced as he looked through one of the boarded up windows.

"What're we going to do?" Nicole cried out, clutching her daughter close.

Jess ran his hands through his hair, "Our truck's out front. It's low on gas though." He let out a sigh, "I know there is a gallon in the maintenance shed out back."

"I can run around, go get it," Daryl offered, taking his crossbow from his back. "Y'all run to the truck and I'll be there in a second."

"No way in hell you're going alone, Daryl," Nicole stated, clutching her bat tightly. "Jess, I'll go with him."

His brow quirked, "You sure?"

"Just take care of my little girl," Nicole started to back up. "You watch his back, Chey."

Nicole and Daryl turned to go out the back. They went out the back door, instantly crouching at the sound of that horrid snarl. "I got 'im." Daryl unsheathed his hunting knife and began stalking toward the monster.

In a single, swift movement the knife got embedded into the monster's skull and it was on the ground. Daryl waved for Nicole to come up. Her pace was slow as she caught up to him. When they turned the corner, there were at least seven of the monsters.

Nicole and Daryl spotted the maintenance shed a little ways away. The duo stalked their way over to it, killing two monsters in the process. "I'll grab it. Cover me," Nicole whispered before she opened it. She cringed as the hinges creaked.

She went in and grabbed the can. When she went back out, Daryl shot a monster. Its attention was pulled to the creak of the door. Other monsters started to crowd around him. Nicole set down the can and started swinging her bat -- the blunt end meeting the head with a sickening crack.

The pair killed the surrounding monsters, but more were coming to the sound. "Shit," Daryl cursed before grabbing the gas can. An unexpected gunshot went off, causing Nicole to jump.

"Cheyanne." She began to panic before she broke into a sprint toward the vehicle. She could hear Daryl behind her. The monsters were surrounding Jess and Cheyanne. Jess' arm was bloody, but he kept fighting. Cheyanne looked down at the ground. Her eyes pinned to the dead monster on the ground.

Nicole swung her bat at the monsters. There were a couple of them clustering together. She smacked one in the back of the head and kicked the other in the back of the knee. It's face planted and she continued to run to her daughter.

"We got it! Get in the truck!" She yelled. Jess and Cheyanne scrambled to get in. Nicole and Daryl climbed into it as well. Daryl slammed the door. It was cramped, but that was the least of their worries. "Drive!"

Jess turned the keys and moved the gears into drive. He slammed on the gas and the wheels spun before he sped off to the road.


	7. 05

Jess was getting bad. He sat in the middle of Daryl and Nicole, who had Cheyanne in her lap. Cold chills continuously shot through his bones as his temperature rose. Nicole could feel it as it radiated from his clammy skin.

Nicole's green eyes glanced over to the man as he clutched his bandage. His injury leaked out blood which seeped through the fabric. Nicole sighed before stroking Cheyanne's curly brown hair as she slept.

Cheyanne hadn't slept since Jess got bitten two days ago -- since she shot her first walker. Nicole wished that she didn't have to experience this so early in her life. She wished that the world hadn't changed at all.

"Daryl, we need to pull over," Nicole stated as she glanced down to Jess' arm. Daryl grunted in response and started to slow down the vehicle. He shifted it into park, immediately jumping out. He grabbed his crossbow from the back of the worn-blue vehicle.

Daryl walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. Nicole got out, holding her sleeping little girl. Jess started to creep out. His bones creaked with the movement of his joints. They felt like glass. They ached. He just wanted it to stop.

Once Jess managed to get out and stand, Nicole lied Cheyanne in the seats. Jess was struggling to cling to the side of the vehicle. "I need to change your bandage, Jess." Nicole's voice was quiet as she took his arm.

"Nikki," Jess croaked out. "I ain't gonna make it." His blue eyes glazed over with tears as if he had just come to that realization. "Just leave me here with a single bullet and a gun."

"We're not doing that." Daryl stormed over. "I ain't losin' you too, Jess."

"You can't avoid it, son," Jess sighed while he placed his arm over his bloody bandage.

Daryl's eyes glossed over as he fought back the tears. "You can't do it yourself." Jess looked up to his nephew.

"I can't let one of y'all do it." Jess' hand went to his gun, which he had tucked into the back of his pants. He unloaded the clip taking out 4 of the 5 bullets and giving them to Daryl. "I won't be needing these."

Jess clutched the side of the truck. "I am going to go sit by that tree," he uttered out as he pushed himself up. "And Y'all are gonna leave. I need to do this."

"Jess..." Daryl's voice cracked.

Jess looked over to Daryl, placing his clammy hand on his shoulder. Their eyes met and the hurt radiated from them. Nicole stood there with her arms crossed while fighting back her tears. Jess embraced his nephew and whispered something to him. When the boys separated, Jess turned to face Nicole. "Take care of my nephew, Nikki."

Nicole nodded as tears flooded her eyes. She couldn't believe she was losing a friend -- that she was losing someone she was supposed to help protect. All she wanted to do at that moment was rewind time to the exact moment he had gotten bit.

The bitten man faced the forest with a sigh before he started to hobble toward it. Daryl stormed around to the driver seat and slammed his door shut. Nicole inhaled while clearing her teary throat. She sniffled and wiped her nose as she turned to go back to the passenger side.

Cheyanne had woken up and was clutching her knees in the middle of the seats. Tears were streaming down the young girls face. Nicole slid into the passenger seat and closed it. Once the latch clicked shut, a gunshot rang through the atmosphere. Nicole jumped at the sudden sound; tears slipped from her green eyes.

Daryl took a sigh, clearing his throat. He shifted the gears and slammed on the gas pedal. The broken trio sat in silence as they drove farther and farther away from their beloved friend.


	8. 06

Daryl allowed the vehicle to roll to a stop. "I'm gonna go look for some supplies. Some gas," he stated while looking over to the woman and child in the passenger.

"Do you want me to come?" Nicole inquired as she sat up straight.

"Nah, you stay with the littlun," he paused wiping the sweat from his face. "I'll try not to use the ammo. I'll be in a tight spot if I do."

"I hear a gunshot, I'll come running." Nicole gave him an affirming nod. Daryl didn't try to argue with the stubborn woman. He got out of the vehicle, grabbing his crossbow in the process.

Cheyanne looked up to her mother with sad eyes. "Mama," she whimpered, "are we going to be okay?"

Nicole didn't want to lie to the little girl, but she didn't want to tell her that she didn't know. Cheyanne had lost so much hope in the past few days; Jess' death had taken a toll on her the most. She blamed herself because she couldn't shoot the monster that bit him fast enough. "We'll be just fine, baby girl."

With a sigh, Cheyanne rubbed her face. "We'll always be together, right Mama?" she questioned, looking up to her mother with her big, brown eyes.

"Always, my love. I promise."

Bang! Bang!

Nicole flinched and grabbed her gun out of reflex. Daryl. She instant tensed up, looking down to the little girl beside her. "Look, sweetie, Daryl needs my help."

Cheyanne hesitantly nodded.

"I will be back soon. You got your gun?" Nicole asked. Cheyanne nodded, pulling out her weapon. "Ammo?"

Chey unloaded the clip to check it. "Six."

"Where do you aim?"

Cheyanne put her gun down and made one with her hands. She aimed for her mother's forehead and whispered the noise it made.

Nicole smiled, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Good job." She whispered. "Do not let anyone in and if they try, shoot. Don't shoot the monsters unless they somehow get inside, understand?"

The little girl nodded. Nicole popped open the door and jumped out. "I love you," she spoke before shutting the door and stalking to the gunshots.

She crouched car to car. She avoided the eyes of the abominations that were roaming the streets of this wasteland of a town. Nicole had her bat ready for any batting practice. Another gunshot went off inside a building and she made a beeline for it.

The monsters roared around her as she ran for the door. One got to close for her liking and she swung -- the sickening crack rang through her head. It made Nicole nauseous to think about how it was starting to be a comforting sound. Or how she was starting to enjoy bashing the brains out of the undead.

That thought made her sick to her core. She hated what this world was starting to make her into. Nicole was merely a middle school English teacher before the world went to hell. She never thought she'd be whacking heads to survive.

Nicole opened the door and immediately shut it. She came face to face with at least four monsters. Instinctually, she swung back and forth at the monster's heads. Nicole kept knocking down the monsters until there was one left. She went to go kill it, but it went stiff.

A swish pulled from its head, and there stood the bloody man she'd been looking for. "I though' I told you to stay in the car!" He exclaimed as another man waddled out from around the corner.

"And I thought I told you that I'd come running if I heard a gunshot." She shot back as she lifted up her bloody bat. Daryl scoffed before looking back to the sunburnt man that was struggling to stand up behind him.

"Damn, lil' bro. You snagged a fine piece of ass." The man announced out while looking dead at the blonde woman.

Nicole rolled her eyes and then flipped the man off. "Merle, I presume."

"Oh, you told 'er about me. You plannin' on sharin'?" Merle licked his lips.

"Shut up, bro."

Nicole rolled her eyes. "I have to get back to Chey. Glad to know you're safe and sound, Daryl," the evident sarcasm poured from her mouth. She turned around to go back out toward her daughter.

Eventually, she got back to the truck. Nicole's bat was drenched in bone fragments and the thick consistency of the undead's blood. She ripped a piece of her black flannel and cleaned off the residue. Cheyanne opened the door for her and she jumped in. Daryl and Merle got into the vehicle a few minutes later.

Merle made many slut-shaming remarks to Nicole. She quickly figured out that this man had no respect toward women at all. He was almost nothing like Daryl. If Daryl hadn't told her, she never would've believed that they were even related.

Nicole's observations of the brothers were completely contrasted. Daryl was a quiet, loyal but a reserved guy. He was the type of person she wanted by her side. Dependable. While Merle was an obnoxious, sexist and an "every man for himself" type of guy. Not her ideal choice in a group member.

She wanted to stick with Daryl. They shared a mutual trust in each other. She did not want to lose that bond. Even if that meant dealing with his ridiculous brother.


	9. 07

Cheyanne sat quietly in between her mother and Merle. She traced her pencil over a blank sheet of paper in the sketchbook Daryl had found for her yesterday. When the man gave it to her, she was absolutely ecstatic.

Daryl's right hand was on the steering wheel while the other was against the window. He continually stole glances to Nicole and Cheyanne; he could see how annoyed they were getting with Merle's ridiculous remarks.

Nicole had to keep reminding herself that she had been called worse than what Merle was calling her. She had to keep reminding herself that she couldn't let this man dominate her. She had to keep the weak, little girl she used to be, buried inside of her core.

"Whaddya say this next pitstop we go off and get it on?" he leaned over to whisper in her ear. Nicole took a deep breath as she held back the tears. Every single thing he said broke her down more and more. It was getting harder to not say anything.

"Leave 'er alone, bro," Daryl muttered out, biting his fingernail.

Merle didn't shut up. He kept running his mouth and Nicole was getting to her breaking point. It wasn't until a Jeep jerked out from a hidden path in the forest. Daryl slammed on the breaks, which jerked Merle forwards and he banged his forehead on the radio.

"Karma's a bitch," Nicole muttered under her breath, loosening her grip on her daughter.

"At least I ain't-a bitch." Merle snarked back, holding his forehead in pain.

Nicole saw that the Jeep had stopped a couple of yard in front of them. It sat idle as the people inside sat debating to get out of the vehicle. Eventually, the people in the vehicle got out and began walking over. Their hands were up in surrender.

Nicole instantly recognized one of the men walking toward them. "Shane?" she uttered out. She rushed to open up the truck door and made a b-line to the man. Nicole swung her arms around his neck.

"We thought you were dead," he muttered into her greasy, blonde hair. "Lori said you went to Atlanta to find Nolan and then they bombed the city," he continued to hug the woman. Shane and Nicole were not very close; they shared a mutual friendship with the Grimes family. When Nicole was teaching at King County Middle, she taught Rick and Lori's son for a few months before all hell broke loose.

Nicole pulled away, looking up to the man. A smile was on her face. "Is Lori-"

"Lori's fine. So's Carl. They're back at camp."

Nicole let out a sigh of relief as she swept back her hair. "Thank god." Nicole looked back to the two men who sat curiously watching the reunion.

"Mr. Walsh!" Cheyanne called out running over and engulfing his legs in a hug.

"Hey, bug." Shane stroked her hair, before bending down to fully hug her. "Hey, Nikki. Who're they?"

Nicole looked over to the brothers. "Merle and Daryl Dixon. They saved my life."

Shane nodded as he stood up. "This is Glenn." he motioned to the Korean boy beside him. Glenn awkwardly said hello back to her. "If y'all follow us, we'll take you to our camp." Shane ruffled Cheyanne's curly brown hair.

"Okay." Nicole gave a bright smile -- the first genuine one since Jess' death. Nicole and Cheyanne went back to the vehicle and hopped in. "He's one of my old friends. He has a camp up the mountain. Say's to follow him."

Daryl simply grunted in response and shifted the truck into drive. Merle started to run his mouth again.

"That your boy toy?"

"He the one who got you knocked up?"

"Y'all seem pretty friendly. I bet I could be friendlier."

"We get to that camp, we should go an' sneak off."

"Damn, girl. You really saving yourself for the douche, huh?"

Nicole eventually snapped, "Shut the hell up." Merle continued on until they got to the camp. Daryl shifted the truck to park; Nicole immediately got out. Cheyanne buried her face into her mother's side.

"All right, Y'all. Got some new people joinin' us." Shane's voice announced to the camp as he got out of the Jeep.

Nicole, Cheyanne, and Daryl met at the front of the truck. Merle sat inside, contemplating about god knows what. "This is Merle and Daryl Dixon and this is Nic-"

"Nicole! Cheyanne!" a child's voice cried out as he ran over to the pair, embracing Cheyanne in the biggest hug.

"Oh my God, Nikki." Lori appeared in Nicole's vision. A smile spear across her face as she engulfed her best friend into a crushing hug. "We thought you died."

"Sorry to disappoint," Nicole chuckled as she pulled away from her brunette. Lori rolled her eyes before looking down to the two children hugging, who were still hugging.

Nicole looked up to Daryl, whose eyes there trained on her. Happiness filled Nicole up for the first time in a month and a half; Daryl could see it. Part of him still wanted nothing to do with her, but the other half wanted to stay with her. Over the past month that they'd survived together, he'd grown attached to her. He wanted to survive with her.

"C'mon. We'll introduce y'all to everyone." Lori smiled to Nicole and motioned for the other four to follow her. Nicole and Cheyanne, who was hand in hand with Carl, followed her graciously. Daryl and Merle shared a look, before following their friend.


	10. 08

Nicole never expected to find so many people in one little camp after such a catastrophe. After her expedition to find her brother failed, Nicole had lost hope in finding the people she cared about most. She knew finding her brother in the infested Atlanta city was a shot in the dark. She knew that he was most likely dead. Especially, after the news announced that the military was ordered to shoot anything that moved -- alive or dead.

Finding her best friend and her son was certainly never something she'd expect. Not after losing hope of finding her brother. Finding them made her regain a little bit of hope -- just a sliver. Daryl and Merle were naturally pessimistic. Her being around them seemed to dim her optimism. But now, she knew that miracles did exist.

Lori took her time introducing the four newcomers to the group. She continually got lost in conversations with the people she had grown to know over the past two months. Nicole remembered the night when Lori came and banged on her door. She remembered how she begged for her and Cheyanne to come with them to the safe-zone in Atlanta. Nicole remembered declining. All because she held out for the seemingly foolish hope that she'd find her older brother, Nolan.

As the sun began setting, everyone began to gather around the two fires for a meal. It had been brewing for a little while. Everyone insisted on getting to know the new people. Lori and Nicole caught up, laughing at old stories and the stupid things they caught Carl and Cheyanne doing. Daryl told the group about seeing a Chupacabra. Merle judged the group, concocting a plan in his head while he silently sat.

Nicole thought it was nice to be eating something other than roasted squirrel for once. Yet, that was quite the opposite for the bigger group, who had been eating nothing but canned goods. They wanted some meat, anything.

It was pretty late after the group finished their meals and quit grilling the quartet. People began turning into the array of tents on the Eastern side of the small camp. It wasn't until then that Nicole realized that the four of them couldn't fit in one tent. Before Nicole and Daryl found Merle locked on a rooftop -- cooked and delirious from the sun -- they always planned to share a tent together if they ever need too. But with Merle in the picture, the doubts were high on whether he'd give his spot up or not.

With a shallow sigh, Nicole kicked the dirt below her worn, black tennis shoes. She watched as Shane poured water over the embers of one of the fires that were in the center of camp. His deep brown eyes glanced to the green of Nicole's before nodding and walking off his own tent. Daryl and Merle were setting up their tent close to the woods, away from the rush of the rest.

Nicole stroked Cheyanne's mop of brown hair as she contemplated where they were going to crash for the night. She weighed her options. Ask Dale if they could sleep in the RV or ask Lori to bunk for the night. Kick Merle out or sleep in the beat-up pickup they'd slept in for a week. Her dirty hand ran through the grease in her hair. Nicole could feel how heavy her eyes were getting.

She could hear shallow footsteps walking over to her and her daughter. When she looked up, she met with the face of the Korean that she'd met with Shane. "You two can stay in my tent if you like."

Nicole was taken aback by his sudden offer. He didn't know her from a simple hole in the ground. She wanted to ask why he was offering but she stunted he blunt question. "We can't take your tent, Glenn..."

Glenn offered her tired smile before insisting, "I have plenty of room in there. I'm by myself," he paused. "Dale, Amy, and Andrea take the RV, Lori and Carl most likely won't share and it looks like those two brothers you came with are settling in together." Glenn glanced behind them. The lights began to dim inside of tents. The sound of zippers being pulled was the only thing that she heard. Well, other than crickets.

"I am more than happy to share, Nicole." Glenn gave her a smile, which broke Nicole's stubbornness. It was rare to find something -- better yet, someone -- so good in such a crappy world like this. He was so genuine; his smile so wall breaking. Nicole could see his heartfeltness in the matter of hours she'd known him.

"Okay." she nodded. Glenn's smile expanded before he led the pair to his tent. They entered it. It was quite roomy. Two sleeping bags resided on either side of the thin grey sheet. It was obvious which one Glenn slept in. A backpack sat on one with clothes spilling from it. There were a couple of pictures laying on both the sleeping bag and the floor.

Nicole couldn't tell who it was, but she assumed it was his family. Glenn rushed to pick up the photos and place them in his backpack. Nicole and Cheyanne slid off theirs and placed it near the top of the empty sleeping bag. "Thank you, Glenn."

Glenn looked over to the tired blonde woman. "It's not a problem. In times like these, we have to stick together -- have each other's backs." He pulled back the top of his sleeping bag and shimmied into it.

Nicole and Cheyanne eventually got comfortable in the other one. Within moments, Cheyanne's big brown eyes shut and she fell asleep. Glenn gave a soft laugh, before turning the lantern off and turning the other way.

Nicole was tired. She could feel her eyes trying to shut, but her mind kept her awake. She hated when thoughts flooded her brain at the moment she tried to shut her eyes. Her thoughts ranged from her detested ex-husband to thoughts of Jess' death, even to thoughts of Daryl. She began thinking of the future; it scared her. She was scared of being hurt. She was scared of anything that could possibly cause her pain -- physical or emotional.

Killing the monsters had become second nature; she knew they couldn't truly hurt her. It was that reason why she kept fighting them; but when it came to people, they were unpredictable. Each person had their own story buried inside themselves. Each person had their own fears and secrets. Each person had their own experiences, which shaped them in unique ways. People were unpredictable.

People could hurt her; and in this world, it was inevitable that people would abuse the lack of authority. That is what seemed to scare her the most. Nicole didn't want to experience that level of fear and she certainly did not want to feel that pain -- not again.

Nicole's mind swirled in endless circles. Tears brimmed her eyes as one thought led to another. She didn't know why it happened tonight. Maybe it was the idea of sanctuary surrounded by people or maybe it was the idea of something bad happening while they slept.

Nicole just wanted to say to her daughter that they were safe -- for once. But an eerie thought pinched at her mind. Would they ever truly be safe?


	11. 09

Sun shined through the thin linen that was over her head. Nicole covered her eyes, which still had bags under them. She couldn't sleep that night. Her mind swarmed with thoughts.

"Mama! Mama!" Cheyanne's little body ran into the tent cheering. She had fresh clothes on -- a pink and white striped shirt and a pair of khaki capris. "Mrs. Miranda gave me some of Eliza's clothes! Ms. Amy said to give you these!"

Nicole slowly sat up to look at her cheerful little girl. "Wow, look at you!" her tired voice came out, "You look like a whole new child." She playfully ruffled her hair.

Cheyanne's crooked smile lit up the room more than the actual sun did. Nicole loved to see her little girl's smile. It didn't shine as much as it used to so it was a joyful rarity. "Ms. Amy wanted me to give you these."

Nicole smiled and graciously took the folded clothes from the little girl. "Thank you, Chey," she whispered out.

"I'm gonna go play with Eliza!" Cheyanne skipped out of the tent and ran to go play with her new found friends.

Nicole chuckled softly as she wiped the sleep from her tired green eyes. She stood up and slowly began taking off her grimy clothes off. She unbuttoned her shredded black flannel and dropped it to the floor. It wasn't until this moment that she realized how many scars she'd acquired in the past two months -- granted most were very minor -- but the many amount shocked her.

She slid on a light blue tank top and a white button-up, which remained unbuttoned. Nicole began sliding off her tattered tennis shoes and ripped gray jeans. She slid on Amy's black jeans and put back on her shoes.

She made sure to put her switchblade in her pocket and tuck her .9mm in the back of her pants. She then exited the tent. The sun shined straight into her bloodshot eyes; her hand shot up to block it.

As she walked into camp, people greeted her with hellos. She happily returned the gesture. Her main priority was to find Amy and Miranda to thank them for the clothes.

Nicole saw Daryl sitting on a log by the fireplace. His crossbow at right next to him as he held a stick and struck his hunting knife to it. Merle stood near Andrea with his left arm against Dale's RV. Nicole took it upon herself to walk over to Daryl and sit down.

"Mornin'." She gave him a tired smile. "How'd you sleep?"

Daryl didn't budge from sharpening his stick. "I got somethin', I guess," the rasp came for his throat. "How'd you sleep with that chinaman?"

Nicole scoffed, "Firstly, his name is Glenn." she stood up, "Secondly, you're an asshole."

She turned on her heel and marched her way over to Lori, who was hanging up laundry. "Hey." She put her hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You just got here, Nikki," Lori finished hanging up a shirt on a line. "There's no need for you to be helping just yet. Rest up for a few days, get back on your feet."

Andrea scoffed from the other side of the line. "She should be helping out as soon as she possibly can. Not freeloading off of us just because she knew you and Shane before."

Nicole looked up to the blonde woman and was about to retaliate but Lori beat her to it, "Andrea, shut your mouth for once. She just got here and she needs to rest. She's been out there, running for her life for almost two months. So for God sakes, let her rest."

Andrea gave both of them the biggest glare before storming off toward the RV. Nicole looked up to Lori, their eyes meeting. "Thank you."

Lori hung up one more shirt before turning to Nicole. "C'mere." Lori engulfed her best friend in a hug. "We have each other's backs, right?"

"Always," Nicole muttered into Lori's brunette hair.

Throughout the day, Nicole helped out where Lori would allow her to. The most that Lori let her do was help teach the children out of the couple of textbooks someone had managed to scrounge up.

The sun was setting and people were turning into their tents. Nicole sent Cheyanne to bed with Glenn, whom the little girl could not stop talking to for half a second. Nicole made her way toward Merle and Daryl's tent. She felt bad about what went down earlier -- she needed to apologize.

As she neared the brothers' tent, she heard whispers erupting from the inside.

"I say we take their shit and leave."

"There are good people here, Merle."

"Good people are dead people nowadays, little brother."

"What about Nicole and her littlun? They won't agree to this."

"To hell with 'em, Daryl. Do you really want to stick around just to get your dick wet from that lil' whore?"

"She ain't a whore, bro. And I ain't leavin' 'er."

"You want her that bad? So bad that you're willin' to risk everything for her?"

"I promised Jess that I wouldn' leave her."

"Jess is dead, bro. What he made you promise don't matter no more."

"The hell it does. I'm not leavin' her. And we sure as hell ain't robbin' this camp unless she's comin' with."

Nicole heard enough of this and scoffed while turning hot on her heels to march back to camp. Daryl heard her and scrambled to get out of the tent. He jogged after her, grabbing her shoulder to turn her around. "Leave me alone, Daryl."

"Nicole --"

"No, Daryl. I am not listening to you try and convince me to rob these innocent people."

"I ain't gonna try to convince you to do that 'cause I already know your stand."

"Well, just the fact that you are even considering doing that is repulsive."

"I ain't. Merle is."

"Stand up to the douchebag. Don't hide in his shadow like a scared little puppy."

"I ain't hidin' in nobody's shadow."

"Then prove it. Stand up to him for once in your life."

Daryl stood silent as if he was unable to come back with a liable response. Nicole looked at him with an inquiring brow. "You can't let him walk over you, Daryl." She looked down her shoes. "I can't let him walk over you. And I sure as hell can't let him hurt this camp."

Nicole stepped forward and looked up to his Georgia blues. "If I even get an inclining that he is going to try and go through with it, I will stop him myself." She stood there for a moment and turned on her heel to march back toward the tent where her daughter slept.


	12. 10

Nicole didn't know how long they'd been in the Atlanta camp. She always got tempted to ask Andrea, but she always managed to start some shit with her. Andrea had a knack for seemingly bullying Nicole for no given reason. Nicole didn't know if it was because she had connections to the leadership at the camp and Andrea thought she got special treatment or if she just flat out didn't like her.

All of the children sat around a log playing. Eliza and Sophia were playing with her doll, which Sophia had fallen in love with. Carl and Louis were playing with some action figures that Glenn had found on a run. Cheyanne, well, she sat by herself drawing in her sketchbook with her new color pencils. Morales somehow managed to scrounge those up.

Today was a Run day. People were gathering up to head into the horror of Atlanta. So far, six of the members had agreed to go. Glenn wanted to go alone like he usually did; but, Shane insisted on taking a group. He didn't want to risk it like last time when Glenn barely got back.

Nicole wanted to go on the run with him, but Daryl continually shot her down. He didn't want to risk her life for a couple of rolls of toilet paper and a box of tampons. After multiple shots got fired back and forth, Nicole backed down agreeing to stay in the camp. Merle eventually decided to go. He held out for the hope that he'd be getting his junk wanked by the blonde woman who seemed to hate Nicole.

Daryl tried to talk him out of it, but Merle insisted on going. Daryl gave up on trying to convince his brother. He decided that he was gonna go on a hunt.

"Daryl," Nicole called to the man.

"What woman?" He turned around angrily. He couldn't believe how stupid his brother was.

Nicole took a soft breath, rubbing her hands together. "I just wanted to say,"

She paused taking a step forward to place a hand on his exposed arm. "Please come back safe."

Daryl nervously looked down to her hand. He noticed how her hands weren't soft nor rough and how her nails were unevenly broken. He noticed the dirt under them, and the small calluses that were on her thumb from her bat.

"I'll be fine, woman." he turned around and started to walk off. Nicole looked down to her breaking tennis shoes and nudged a rock under them. She turned around and began trekking back up the small hill to camp.

Nicole went to Lori and began helping with laundry, even if Lori instantly declined her help. Nicole's only response was "Deal with it."

It was getting close to noon and the heat began picking up. Sweat started to pour down Nicole's face as the two of them began to talk. They'd finished hanging up the clothes that were washed.

"So what's going on with you and Daryl?" Lori inquired as she ruffled Carl's hair.

Nicole sat down on the log opposite of her best friend. "What're you even talking about?" she chuckled as she twisted open her water bottle, taking a few gulps from it.

"I see the way you two look at each other." Lori wiggled her eyebrows at Nicole, resulting in a laugh between the two. Nicole enjoyed moments like this. Moments where it all seemed to be normal. Nicole remembered the weekends when she, Lori and Rick would sit on the couch to watch the Superbowl. She remembered the weekly get-togethers that their families had. She remembered how it used to be; she missed it.

The CB clicked and immediately caught the attention of the camp members. It was broken and cracked. "Hello. Hello. Can anybody hear my voice?"

Amy made a mad dash towards it, dropping her firewood in the process. Most people rushed toward the device what sat on a tree stump. "Hey, hello?"

"Can you hear my voice?"

"Yes, I can hear you. You're coming through, over." She instantly responded. She was hopeful.

"If anybody reads me, please respond."

The man kept talking about how he was heading into the city, broadcasting on an emergency channel. Amy tried to warn him about the impending danger he was getting himself into.

"Hey, don't go into Atlanta. We're just outside the city." the radio lost signal and she got frustrated. She began fiddling with the station, "Hey! Hello?"

"He couldn't hear me. I couldn't warn him." She turned to Dale, who stood behind her. He was intently listening to the one-sided conversation.

"Try to raise him again." Dale looked over to Shane, "C'mon, son. You know best how to work this thing." Lori got up and made her way closer. Nicole stood, caressing the backs of the two children in front of her.

Shane walked over, slamming his ax down. "Hello, hello. Is the person who called still on the air?" No response. Nervously, Nicole ran her left hand through her hair. Man, she wanted a decent shower.

"This is Officer Shane Walsh broadcasting to Person Unknown, please respond." Silence again. Shane sighed, before clicking the microphone back to the CB. "He's gone."

"There are others. It's not just us." Lori spoke up as Nicole stepped forwards.

"We knew there would be, right? That's why we left the CB on."

Nicole scoffed, "Well, it's doing a great job, Mr. Walsh." Her green eyes rolled as she rubbed her hands together. Cheyanne's little arms wrapped around her mother's right leg.

"I've been saying for a week that we ought to put signs up on 85 to warn people away from the city," Lori spoke up, placing her hands on her hips.

"Those folks have no idea what they're getting into," Amy looked up to Shane as she spoke. Her steel blue eyes were sad and worried.

Shane began to stand up, "Well, we haven't had any time."

"I think we need to make time," Lori pressed.

Shane rubbed his chin, "Yeah, that --" he paused, "that's a luxury we can't afford."

"Shane, there are a lot of luxuries we don't have anymore. Finding some time to save and warn people away from that awful city isn't one of them," Nicole said as she placed her hand on Lori's bare shoulder.

Shane shook his head, "Nicole, we are surviving here. We are day to day."

Dale finally spoke up, "And who the hell would you purpose we send?"

"I'll go. Give me a vehicle," Lori said, frustrated.

"Nobody goes anywhere alone, you know that." Shane rubbed the back of his head and looked to Lori, praying she'd drop it.

"I'll go with her. She wouldn't be alone." Nicole spoke up. Lori allowed her left hand to cross over her chest and placed it on top of Nicole's. "We'd get it done real quick."

"I said no, and that's final." Shane spat out. Nicole rolled her eyes when she felt Lori's hand slid off of her's.

Lori began storming off toward the tents. She spat out a final, "Yessir," to Shane and his hero complex.

Carl tried to run after his angry mother, but Shane stopped him and sent him back over to Nicole. Nicole fumed in anger, but she held it under wraps to comfort her child and Lori's.

Carl sat for all of five minutes before getting up and chasing after his mother. Nicole didn't bother chasing after him. Cheyanne wandered off to go finish her chores.

Amy walked over to Nicole with a gentle smile and a bright red bucket. "You finished with laundry duty?" she asked, sitting down across from the older woman. Nicole returned the smile and nodded. "You wanna go for a walk with me?"

Nicole looked around. Everyone was doing something. "Why not." Nicole smiled, rubbing her sweaty hands on her black jeans. Amy and Nicole started to walk into the forest.

"Stay within shouting distance, you two," Dale's voice called out from the top of the RV. Amy gave him a thumbs up before continuing into the forest.

Amy was a sweet girl. Nicole acknowledged that simple fact. Nicole feared what this world would turn her into. Amy was too kind hearted for it. Sure, Nicole knew that she could fight off a walker but she didn't know if she had what it took to survive.

Nicole wasn't even sure that she had that kind of strength to fight the world. By this point, she only had one thing to truly care about -- Cheyanne. With her brother MIA, she knew that Daryl and Merle would move on eventually. So would the rest of the group. Nicole would only be left with her little girl, her flesh and blood. At least until the world decided to take her too.

"Let's play a game since we're on mushroom duty," Amy suggested as she bent down to grab one. "21 questions?"

Nicole shrugged in agreement. Amy stood back up and smiled toward her, "I'll go first," she paused as they separated to go around a tree. "How do you know Lori?"

Nicole chuckled, "I taught Carl for a few months before all this went down."

Amy looked at her amused, "You were a teacher? I woulda thought you would've been a doctor or something."

"You?"

"I was a junior in college. Studying Physical education." The two girls shared a look, "Andrea and I were on a road trip, driving back when all this started."

Nicole nodded. The two kept answerings questions back and forth as the went on their mission for mushrooms. "The last one," Amy announced as they got close to camp again. "What's your biggest fear?"

"Water," Nicole showed no hesitation in her response. "When I was younger, my brother dared me to climb up a diving board and jump off," she chuckled at the thought. "I wouldn't jump because I was scared, so he climbed up to the top with me and offered to jump too."

"I still wouldn't to it, so he pushed me off," she slightly cringed at the memory. "I don't think he realized that we were in the deepest end." She chuckled for a second, "or maybe he did and he was trying to kill me." She paused looking over to the younger, engrossed girl. "I was close to the bottom and I couldn't swim up. I panicked until my father dove in and grabbed me. Nolan wasn't allowed out of the house for almost a year."

"Your parents sound strict," Amy replied.

"They were. That's why he left the moment he turned 18, and then I became the center of their "Make A Perfect Child" mission." Nicole sighed, "anyway, what's yours?"

Amy wanted to press, oh how she wanted to press on. But, the boundaries of their previous society prevented her from crossing that invisible line. "Uhm, I'd probably say getting eaten by the walkers. Those things scare the crap outta me."

"Me too."


	13. 11

The wind swayed the trees, making soft whooshing sounds through the branches. The camp was on edge from the lack of communication of the people who went on the run.

Nicole and Amy continued to chat as they neared the edge of the camp. Amy spotted another mushroom and bent down to pick it up when a voice cracked through the trees -- scaring them half to death.

"Y'all better be getting back to camp," Shane announced as he appeared from the trees. "I'm sure y'all've been mucking around out here long enough."

The two girls looked at each other and chuckled. "I'm sure we could muck around longer, Shane," Amy giggled, "ya know if you wanted to join us." She shot a subtle wink to Nicole and grabbed her hand to walk back into camp.

Nicole glanced back to the man, who had a confused look on his face. Amy and Nicole were laughing on their way back in. "What's so funny, you two?" Dale questioned from the top of the RV.

"Nothing, Dale," Nicole called out with a crack of her voice. Nicole glanced around for her daughter. When she spotted her, she separated from the other blonde girl and made her way over to Cheyanne.

"What ya doin'?" Nicole cheerily asked as she childishly skipped over.

"I'm drawing. Duh." Cheyanne gave her mother a huge grin, before proudly showing the drawing. It was just a pencil with small colored strokes that she'd started. "That's you," she pointed to the only woman in the drawing with a bat. "That's Mr. Daryl." She pointed to the man on the opposite side with a crossbow. "That's me." she pointed to the little girl in the middle.

"Those are the monsters," she said, "you guys are protecting me from them." Cheyanne looked up giving her mother the biggest smile she could muster. "You guys always protect me."

Nicole looked down to her little girl's brown eyes. "Always, sweetheart."

Nicole looked back toward Amy, who gave the red bucket to Lori. Lori got up and made her way toward the forest.

She wasn't stupid. Nicole knew what Lori and Shane did in the dark. It was all but written on their faces every time they were in the same vicinity. Nicole knew what Rick's death did to Lori -- hell, even to Shane. They needed comfort, which both of them gave each other.

Nicole didn't necessarily agree with their methods, however. She didn't like how quickly Lori bounced to Shane, not even three months after her husband's supposed death. Nicole never said anything though. It wasn't her place too. All she wanted was for her best friend to be happy, and if Shane gave her that then who was she to try and stop her.

Nicole stood up as Carl made his way over to them, immediately striking up a conversation with Cheyanne. With a shake of her head, Nicole walked over to the RV and climbed up on top. "Hey, Dale."

The old man looked down to her with a kind smile, "Hey, Nicole." He slung his rifle over his shoulder, offering her a hand up. She graciously took it and heaved herself up. "What's on your mind?"

Nicole stood there for a second, looking over as Dale peered through his binoculars. "I just wish all of this would hurry up and end," Nicole stated, "I want the military to come and fix this mess."

"I hear ya. I'm sure that someone'll figure out how to cure this and we will be back in our own beds." He responded, looking to the younger girl.

"I hope so. I hate that Cheyanne has to grow up in this," she paused as she picked at her dainty nails, "She's seen so much death. Way to much for a nine-year-old."

Dale glanced over to the spot where all of the kids -- Sophia, Carl, Louis, Eliza, and Cheyanne -- all sat talking and playing. "She's tough," he blatantly stated, "All of those kids are. They are going to beat all this mess."

Hours had passed. Nicole sat with Carol, Lori, and Miranda as all four of them taught their children. "Why do we need to know this stuff?" Eliza asked as she frustratedly put her pencil down.

"So that when everything gets better, we can pick up where we were," Cheyanne stated before any of the adults could. Cheyanne quickly scratched her face before she continued her work.

"You okay, Chey?" Nicole whispered to her daughter.

"Yeah, mama." Cheyanne continued her work.

Nicole looked up to the sky as it rumbled. "That's just what we need," she complained. Nicole got up, "I say that's enough for a day, doncha think?" All of the children cheered with a yes while the mothers all laughed at their children's reactions. "Well, class dismissed then."

The children cheered as they ran off. Lori and Nicole made their way over to the laundry and started to take off the clothes. "So, how're you on this glorious day?" Nicole sarcastically asked as she pulled off the pins on a shirt.

Lori chuckled as she did the same. "My day has been quite good." Nicole gave her best friend a smile.

"I can tell." she glanced over to her, "You have a glow to you."

Lori froze for a second. "I--"

"Does he make you happy, Lori?" Nicole genuinely asked.

Lori nodded, "Yeah, he does." Both of the women glanced over to where Shane, Carl and Cheyanne sat. Shane sat there teaching Carl how to tie knots, while Cheyanne sat there. Curiosity swam across her eyes as she watched Carl attempt to tie the knots.

Nicole placed her hand gently on her friend's shoulder. "Then that's all that matters." The two women gave each other a smile and a gentle hug.

Then the radio crackled. "Hello! Base Camp!" Nicole recognized T-Dog's voice in an instant. She started jogging over to the CB, which was on top of the RV now.

"Can anyone out there hear me?"

Dale began climbing up the latter, "Base Camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?"

Dale grabbed the receiver and spoke into it, "Hello, hello. Reception is bad on this end, Repeat, repeat."

The radio crackled through as T's voice came through cracked and broken.

"Is that them?" Lori asked as she looked up to the old man. The radio crackled as Dale turned the dial in hope of getting better reception.

"We're in some deep shit. We're trapped in the department store."

Nicole stepped back, raking her hair back. "Did he just say they're trapped?" she questioned, hoping that someone would reject her question. Her friends were there -- Glenn, T-Dog, Jacqui, Morales, Merle, hell even Andrea. She didn't want anything to happen to the few people she had left.

"There are geeks all over the place. Hundreds of 'em. We're surrounded."

Cheyanne wrapped her little arms around her mother's leg. Nicole placed a hand on her little shoulder. Cheyanne seemed to know when her mother needed comfort; she always did. Her little thumbs rubbed circles on her mother's jeans as she attempted to comfort her.

"T-Dog, repeat that last. Repeat," Dale called into the mic. As the CB went to static, Nicole placed her hand behind her head in nervousness for a response. There was none.

Lori spoke up, "He said department store."

"I heard it too," Dale agreed.

Lori took a step toward Shane. "No way." He immediately shot down her thoughts. "We do not go after them. We do not risk the rest of the group.Y'all know that."

"So we're just gonna leave her there?" Amy's voice quivered as she worried about her sister.

Shane began stepping forwards, "Look, Amy, I know that this is not easy--"

"She volunteered to go," Amy paused, looking over to Nicole then back to the man in front of her. "To help the rest of us."

Shane's voice lowered, "I know, and she knew the risks, right?" He sighed, "See, if she's trapped, she's gone. So we just have to deal with that. There is nothing we can do."

Amy's blue eyes filled with anger before she spat out, "She's my sister, you son of a bitch." Amy ran off toward the tents.

Nicole looked to Shane, before turning toward where her friend went. Cheyanne's grip let go as her mother started jogging towards the blonde girl.

"Amy!" Nicole called out as she made her way to her and Andrea's tent. "Amy, sweetie,"

Amy weakly called out to her. When Nicole entered the sisters' tent, she immediately saw Amy's teary eyes. A mixture of emotions was obvious on her face: anger, sadness, worry. Nicole saw as a tear slipped down her pale cheek.

Nicole sat down and wrapped her arms around her friend. Amy grabbed onto Nicole's shirt and bawled.

The two sat there for a few minutes, allowing for the silence to comfort the two. Amy eventually sat up, wiping her cheeks, "Thank you."

Nicole smiled at the girl, "You're welcome."

Amy felt conflicted for a few moments. It wasn't until this moment when she realized the feeling inside of her. Maybe it was because she was in need of comfort, and Nicole gave it to her. Or maybe it was because Nicole was the person she was closest to in the camp -- besides her sister. Amy didn't know.

Amy glanced down to Nicole's smiling lips. "Nicole, I need to tell you something..." she whispered out as she cleared her watery throat.

"What is it?" Nicole asked, placing her hand gently on Amy's.

"I think--"

"Mama!" Cheyanne's voice ripped through the silence as she burst into the tent, "It's raining!" She squealed as she shook her wet mop of brown hair.

Nicole giggled at the girls excitedness. "You having fun?"

"Yeah!" she cheered, before running back out to play in the short burst of rain.

Nicole shook her head with a soft chuckle. "What were you saying?"

Amy's courage diminished as soon as Cheyanne entered. With a heavy heart, she cleared her throat before quivering out a lie, "I'm glad we are friends."


	14. 12

An hour had passed since the CB had even crackled a response. Everyone was trying to distance their thoughts from what they had found out. Nicole sat in the RV with Amy and Cheyanne. The three of them were playing Go Fish.

"Do you have an Eight Spade?" Amy asked.

"Go fish." Nicole gave her a quick smirk as she looked down to her daughter.

"Do you have a bearded man with a black upside down heart?" Cheyanne asked, looking up to the two women. Nicole and Amy chuckled at her description.

"That is the King of Spades," Nicole chuckled as she handed her daughter her's.

"Yes!" Cheyanne cheered, before scratching her face.

Nicole curiously looked down to her daughter. Throughout the day, she noticed that her daughter had been scratching at her face more and more. "You okay, baby girl?"

Chey nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine, Mama."

"Do you wanna go take some medicine?" Nicole asked, looking down to the little girl in front of her.

Before Cheyanne could answer, the wailing of a vehicle caught the trio's attention. Nicole grabbed Cheyanne's little hand and they exited the RV. "Dale! What is that?"

It kept getting closer. "Talk to me, Dale!" Shane yelled.

"I can't tell yet." Dale adamantly looked through his binoculars.

Nicole saw the nervous look on Amy's face and she slipped her other hand into the younger blondes. "Is it them? Are they back?" Amy called out, gripping Nicole's hand tightly.

Dale muttered something under his breath. "What is it?" Nicole called out.

"Stolen car is my guess," Dale spoke out. The wailing vehicle screeched in and Amy instantly let go of Nicole's hand, running over to it.

Nicole and Cheyanne started to walk closer. Nicole instantly spotted Glenn as he got out of the car. "Glenn, turn that thing off!" she called out.

"I don't know how!" Glenn called back out to her.

Shane started demanding that Glenn pop the hood while Amy started grilling him about Andrea. Nicole felt bad for him. Nicole covered her daughter's ears in order to lessen the wailing alarm that was going through the air.

Glenn got in and popped the hood, before answering Amy's question, "She's okay! She's okay!"

"Is she coming back?"

"Yes!"

"Why isn't she with you?" Amy cried out. "Where is she? She's okay?"

"Yes!" Glenn exasperatedly said. "Yeah, fine. Everybody is." His eyes glanced over to Nicole before he said, "well, Merle not so much."

Nicole was about to question his whereabouts but Shane started questioning him, "You crazy, driving this wailing bastard up here? You trying to draw every walker for miles?"

"I think we're okay," Dale calmly said.

"You call being stupid okay?"

Nicole scoffed. Glenn looked nervous as he shifted back and forth on his feet. "Shane, shut up." Everyone went silent. "We are in the middle of hills. That horn was echoing all over. There is absolutely no way for walkers to pinpoint the source. So lay off."

Shane stood up straight, placing his hands on his hips. Nicole sent him a challenging look when he looked like he was about to say something.

Dale spoke up, "It wouldn't hurt for you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?"

Nicole sighed, looking to the Korean boy. He put his hands up in defense, "Sorry." Glenn's face slightly shifted to excited as he said, "I got a cool car."

Nicole chuckled at the younger boy's demeanor. He was still such a kid. A reckless kid. She got pulled from her thoughts as a white cube van began to pull up. Glenn looked back to the group with an 'I told you so' smile. Nicole scoffed at his action.

Andrea got out of the car and Amy ran toward Andrea crying. Jacqui got out after her and started to walk into the camp. Eliza, Louis, and Miranda ran to Morales and they all hugged him. Cheyanne turned and buried her face into Nicole's thigh.

Nicole looked down to her little girl. She felt bad for her. There were all of these families reuniting in front of her and she'd never get to experience what it was like to have a father. That's what broke Nikki's heart.

Nicole spotted T-Dog walking behind Jacqui; she sighed in relief. She was glad her friends were okay. Nicole looked over to Carl and Lori; her heart ached for them as well. She knew how much they missed Rick.

Dale and Morales hugged, exchanging a few words. Jacqui made her way over to Nicole and the two met in a hug. "I'm glad you're okay," Nicole whispered into Jacqui's ear. When the separated, T-Dog came to get his hug as well. "Damn, boy. What happened to you?"

"Dixon." was his simple answer as they pulled away. Nicole was about to ask but Shane started talking.

"How'd Y'all get out of there anyway?" He asked. Nicole was curious as well. She looked up as Glenn told them about a new guy getting them out.

"Yeah, crazy Vato just got into town," Morales spoke up, hugging his wife and children. "Hey, helicopter boy. Come say hello!"

The cube van's driver door opened and a man got out. "The guy's a cop like you," Morales said.

Nicole looked up and saw the face of a man she thought was dead. "Oh my god," she uttered out. Cheyanne loosened her grip on her mom's leg and turned around. Instantly, a huge grin crossed her face.

Rick's eyes met to where Carl and Lori were. The two looked over at him, frozen for a second. Rick started marching toward them. "DAD!" Carl cried out as he ran and jumped into his father's arms. Rick fell to the ground from the force.

Nicole watched as Shane backed away from the scene. Rick stood back up and walked over to Lori; the two embraced in a hug.

Lori's eyes were filled with shocked tears. Nicole noticed when she looked at Shane with an almost sense of hatred. Rick craned his neck to look at his partner; the two meeting gazes with a smile. Rick also noticed the blonde woman standing there. He gave her a smile as well.

Eventually, Rick let go of his family. Reluctantly, but he did. He made his way over to his partner, giving him a hug and thanking him for protecting his family. He then turned to his wife's best friend, who stood there with a gentle smile on her face.

"Hey, Nik," he said as walked over to her and embracing her. Their hug was soft and comforting. Rick had become a brother figure to her. "Hey, bug," Rick chuckled as he bent down to hug the little girl at her mother's feet. "I missed you both," he spoke. "I missed all of you." He looked to his family. He finally had all of them back.

Hey y'all. It's ya girl. I know I haven't wrote an author's note yet, and I feel bad about it so here I am. I just wanted to tell all of you that I'm glad you are taking this journey with me. I can assure you, it's gonna get hectic. I have all of the chapters written and even I was low-key shocked by how everything turned out. That also means that I will not be missing a upload day (Mon. and Fri.)

Anyway, I would love to hear from you all. Please feel free to comment and vote; it would mean a lot to me. It keeps me motivated to write.

I hope you all have a great night/day. Please be safe, responsible and respectful. Say hi to a stranger, tell your parents you love them. Live today like it's your last. I love you all, have a wonderful day. See you on Monday :)

-erin


	15. 13

Night had fallen and the group sat around the ember fire. Cheyanne sat in between her mother's legs, sketchbook in her hand. Nicole stroked her brown hair in attempts to comfort herself.

Nicole glanced behind her to the camp that Ed forced Carol and Sophia to sit at. She felt bad for those two; Nicole knew what Ed did to Carol. She saw how scared Carol was of her husband; she was like a little mouse.

Nicole knew what it was like -- being terrified of her own shadow. She knew what it was like to feel trapped by not only the person she was bounded to but to be trapped in her own skin. The fear of being hurt was what kept you there. Maybe that's why Nicole was scared of even getting a papercut. That pain from years of abuse -- it sticks.

Even when the person who trapped you inside yourself is gone, you still find yourself scared of every little crack and crevice. It was horrible. Finally being free and still fearing for your life.

Nicole had gotten used to the feeling of constantly being scared. She had grown used to looking over her shoulder every spare second. It was as if she was worried that he would appear from thin air and reclaim her life once again.

She shook that thought to the back of her head. Nicole knew where that monster was. He got locked up. Plain and simple. She knew that he couldn't hurt her anymore; she knew that he couldn't make her into a drug-induced puppy again. Nicole knew that she got free. She knew that she was never going to revert back the little girl who obeyed his every barking order.

Crickets chirped around the group. Some of the people had turned in for the night since life at the Quarry started early. Shane picked up a stick from the ground in front of him and he nervously messed with it. Nikki knew why; Lori did too. Nicole wondered if the two would tell Rick. And if they did, how would he take it?

"Disoriented," Rick's voice broke the tense silence. Nicole's gaze turned to where Rick, Lori, and Carl all sat. They were huddled together scared; it was as if they were terrified fate would pull them apart once again. "I guess that comes closest. Disoriented."

Nicole noticed as Lori started to stroke Carl's hair while looking at her husband. Nicole glanced down to her little girl, who scratched at her face a little bit. Everyone seemed to listen quietly to Rick's story. "Fear, confusion-- all those things but..." Rick began again as some thunder rumbled its way overhead. "Disoriented comes closest."

"Words can be meager things," Dale spoke as he set down his empty cup of beans. "Sometimes they fall short."

Rick observed the old man before continuing, "I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else," Rick paused. Lori lowered her head in a most likely sense of shame and guilt. "For a while, I thought I was trapped in some coma dream," Rick's arm pulled Lori a little bit closer. "Something I might not wake up from ever."

Carl gazed up to his father and said, "Mom said you died."

Lori nervously started stroking her son's hair. "She had every reason to believe that. Don't you ever doubt it," Rick said to his son. Nicole noticed the brief look between Lori and Shane. Nicole knew her best friend was wrestling with her guilt. All she wanted to do was take Lori into a hug and comfort her. But they couldn't do that right this moment.

"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were gonna medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta," Lori paused while stroking her son's hair again, "and it never happened."

Rick glanced around the campfire, "Well, I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell." Lori nodded ferociously. "And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun."

Shane's graveled voice finally spoke out, "Yeah, looks don't deceive. I barely got them out," he paused and then whispered, "you know?"

Nicole didn't doubt his statement because she was in Atlanta when it fell. She saw the carnage first hand. Thankfully, she had gotten out of the city before the bombs dropped.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane," Rick spoke with as much sincerity as he could muster. "I can't begin to express it."

Lori looked down. Nicole sighed, and gently placed her hand on her best friend's. Lori's eyes went over to Nicole's and she gently grasped her hand.

Shane was silent. Nicole could hear the embers of the fire crackling and the crickets chirping. She'd become accustomed to that sound. It was in itself a comforting sound. Nicole now associated that sound with safety -- to be at home.

"There go those words falling short again. Paltry things." Dale gazed around the fire. Everyone sat silent. Until wood clattered into the Peletier's separate fire.

Nicole jumped at the clattering sound. She turned to look at the family. "Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?" Shane called out.

"It's cold, man," Ed called back.

Nikki noticed as Carol shifted in her seat -- scared of this confrontation. Nicole felt for her. "Ed, being cold doesn't change the rules," Nicole spoke up, "We keep our fires as embers for a reason."

"It's so we can't be seen from a distance, right?" Shane spoke back up. He was getting frustrated with the lack of this man's cooperation.

"I said it's cold. The two of you should mind your own business' for once," Ed retaliated. This was enough for Shane. He got up and stormed over to them.

Everyone kept meeting each other's eyes in the nervousness of what may happen. It wasn't a secret that Shane and Ed didn't get along. Everyone knew what he did to Carol. Most had seen the bruises on her biceps. Nicole noticed when Carol got up and pulled out the log.

"Jesus," Nicole muttered. She turned around to face the larger groups fire. Cheyanne was leaning against her mother's leg sound asleep. Nicole was glad that her daughter could sleep during times like these.

Shane eventually returned and sat back down with a sigh. Dale immediately spoke his thoughts, "Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon?" Nicole tensed at his name. Her mind instantly raced with thoughts of how he would react to finding his brother gone. He'd be pissed to all hell, no doubt. Daryl can get violent when he gets angry. "He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind."

"I'll tell him. I dropped the key. It's on me," T-Dog spoke up.

"I cuffed him. That makes it mine," Rick said, trying to take the blame.

"Guys, it's not a competition," Glenn spoke up, "I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy."

"I could tell him," Nicole's voice cracked out. "He wouldn't get violent if it were me."

Rick's eyes peered over to his friend, "How can you be so sure?"

"Just trust me on this."

T-Dog shook his head, "I did what I did. Hell if I'm gonna hide from him."

"We could lie," Amy said.

Before Nicole could shoot that down, Andrea did. "Or we could tell the truth," She stated, "Merle was out of control. Something had to be one or he'd have gotten us killed." Andrea looked side to side before looking directly at Lori. "Your husband did what was necessary and if Merle got left behind, it is nobody's fault but Merle's."

"And you wanna tell Daryl that?" Nicole scoffed, peering over to Andrea. "Either choice we make, he is going to be hotter than hellfire when he gets back home."

"Nicole's right. We're gonna have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt," Dale agreed her.

T-Dog's voice quivered as he started to talk, "I was scared and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it."

"We were all scared. We all ran," Andrea attempted to calm him down, "What's your point?"

T-Dog sighed, "I stopped long enough to chain that door." Everyone's gaze landed on the man. The fire shimmering over his face revealed the clear regret that loomed over it. "Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at one time. It's not enough to break through that -- not that chain, not that padlock."

Nicole's eyes flexed as the fire danced in front of her. Her eyes felt heavy as she realized that Merle Dixon was on top of a roof exposed to the baking Atlanta sun. T-Dog continued, "My point -- Dixon's alive and he's up there, handcuffed on that roof." Nicole glanced down to her sleeping daughter in hope of a moment of comfort. "That's on us."

T-Dog got up and made his way toward his tent. The fire was silent. No one knew what to say. Eventually, people started to get up and dismiss themselves to their tents. Nicole gently scooped up Cheyanne and made her with to Glenn and their's tent.

Nicole laid her little girl in their sleeping bag and tucked her in. "Mama," she whispered with her eyes still sealed shut. "Is Mr. Merle gonna be okay?"

Glenn entered the tent and gave a sullen glance to the pair. "He'll be just fine, love. You rest now, okay?" Nicole reassured the little girl before turning to face Glenn. "Is there even a snowball's chance of him being alive on that rooftop?" She whispered to her friend.

Glenn gazed up to her, "Maybe a snowball." Nicole nodded, before turning toward the exit. "Where are you going?"

"A walk." Nicole stepped out of the tent and went walking toward the center of it. The fires' embers were finally going out, and so was the lanterns in people's tents.

"What're you doing out this late?" Shane's graveled voice asked from atop the RV.

"Trying to clear my mind," she responded as she looked up to the man, "you want some company up there?"

Shane uttered out a sure, and Nicole climbed up onto the top of the RV with him. "What are you thinking about, Officer Walsh?" She cheerily asked.

Shane just looked over to her with amusement. "It's nothin'," he grunted out before looking back toward the camp.

"It's about Lori, isn't it?" Nicole questioned. Shane's head snapped over to look at her.

"How'd you know?" he inquired, rubbing his hair.

"It wasn't as hard to put together as you think," she muttered, "I'm sure now that Rick is back, it complicates things."

Shane sighed, "We found comfort in each other. I didn't mean for it to happen, it just did."

"I know, Shane. I know."

How'd y'all like this chapter? It's finally tying into the show, which I'm happy because now it gets better. Thank you all for reading! Please feel free to drop a vote and a comment! It's always appreciated by me. It lets me know that you guys are enjoying it.

Have a great day/night. Be nice and be respectful :) love you all

Peace! -erin


	16. 14

Nicole woke up with a bad feeling about today. She felt like so much shit was about to happen all at once. Nicole's eyes peered down to her sleeping daughter. She instantly noticed the butterfly rash that crossed over her little face.

With a sigh, she wiggled out and crossed over. Nicole began digging through her backpack, trying to find her little girl's medicine. When she found it, she immediately opened it. She sighed when she found that there were only two left. "Chey, sweetie," Nicole cooed, "wake up."

Cheyanne groaned and sat up. Her little hands went up to her face and gently touched it. "Aw, crap," she muttered.

Nicole opened up her hand showing her daughter the two little pills of Prednisone. Cheyanne took the little orange pills and popped them into her mouth. Nicole handed her a bottle of water. The little girl chugged down the pills. "I want you to take it easy today. I don't care if you play with Carl and the others, but I am going to check on you. Frequently."

Cheyanne nodded before standing up. Nicole followed in suit and the two exited the tent. Nicole saw the concerned looks on peoples faces as they saw that god awful rash. Cheyanne cowered into her mother's side, ashamed of what was spread across her face.

The pair passed Carol, who was ironing some clothes. "Morning," she said softly.

"Good morning, Mrs. Carol," Cheyanne spoke up, giving the woman a gentle smile. Carol was taken aback but never said anything.

"How're you doing, sweetie?" Carol asked as she returned to ironing.

"I'm okay." Cheyanne smiled, before spotting Carl. "Mama, can I go play?"

Nicole nodded, and Cheyanne dashed toward her friend. "Thank you," Nicole said as she gazed back up to the older woman.

"What for?" Carol questioned.

"For not looking at her like she has a virus." Nicole offered a kind smile. "It means a lot."

"Not her fault," Carol muttered out. "I just hope she gets to feeling better."

"Thank you." Nicole looked behind Carol to see her deadbeat husband making his way over. "Ed's coming." Carol tensed ever so slightly. "If you need anything, Carol, anything, you holler and I'll come running."

Carol nodded and mouthed a thank you. Nicole turned around and began walking to Glenn, who was pouting over his car. "Aw, damnit," Nicole complained. "Y'all couldn't have waited 'til I took it for a spin?"

"I know. I thought I'd get to drive it a few more days," Glenn sighed out. "Hey, is Chey okay?" He remembered seeing the rash on her face as she ran by.

"She has an autoimmune disease called Lupus," Nicole sighed, "for her, it comes in waves. She won't get it for months and then it will come back." She ran her hand through her hair. "And I'm out of her medicine. So that's fantastic."

"Do you need some help getting some?" Glenn inquired. His face was full of concern for the little girl.

"I'm gonna go on the next Atlanta run and look for some. You could help me then." Nicole gazed up to the taller boy. He nodded and agreed. Nicole embraced him in a hug, and then made her way over to her best friend.

"'Morning sleepyhead," Lori said as she began hanging up some clothes. "D'you sleep well?"

"As well as I could've." Nicole bent down and grabbed a shirt to hang.

"I saw that Chey's condition flared up again." Lori glanced up to her friend. Lori knew about Cheyanne's issue. Shortly after Nicole and Cheyanne moved next door to them, she saw it. Lori saw how bad it could get first hand.

"Yeah. It did," Nicole sighed as she hanged a shirt. "She's out of medicine too."

Lori's eyes widened and she was about to say something. She paused when she saw her husband walking over. Nicole smiled at the two as they greeted each other. Rick and Lori started to have a huddled conversation. Nicole didn't try to eavesdrop. She didn't want to. After all, that's happened to them, they deserved that.

Nicole heard the whirr of Shane's Jeep as he came back from getting water at the Quarry. "Water is here Y'all. Just a reminder to boil before use."

Nicole hung one last article of clothing and made her way over to the Jeep. As soon as she picked up a jug children's screams erupted from the forest.

"Mom!"

"Mommy!"

"Mama!"

Without a second of hesitation, Nicole dropped the jug and took off toward the screams. She pulled out her switchblade as she weaved through the trees. Nicole called out Cheyanne's name. Nicole spotted the children and instantly embraced her daughter.

"What happened?" Nicole started checking for any bites or scratches.

"Monster," Chey whimpered, pointing to where the men all ran to.

Nicole scooped her daughter up in her arms and began carrying her back to camp. She could hear the men start hitting the walker. Nicole didn't want her daughter seeing that.

Cheyanne and Nicole sat at the step of the RV. Nicole was still checking for any noticeable signs. "How you feelin', Chey?"

"My knees hurt," she complained.

"That 'cause you've been running around all day." Nicole ruffled her little girl's hair.

Nicole spotted Daryl entering the camp. She stood up, giving him a smile. He didn't return it, but he gave her a slight nod. "Merle!"

"Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up." Daryl called out for his brother. He placed his crossbow down and began making his way closer to the RV.

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you," Shane called out as he put his shotgun into his Jeep.

Daryl paused and turned around. His eyes glanced to Nicole, who help Cheyanne at her legs. He noticed the rash across that little girl's face. Daryl instantly wondered what was wrong with her. He pushed his thoughts aside and turned to face the man. "About what?"

Shane walked up to Daryl, "About Merle. There was--" Shane paused, turning around to face the redneck, "There was a problem in Atlanta."

Daryl tensed. Nicole noticed how his fingers clenched around his rope of squirrel; she noticed the fire that was growing in his eyes. Daryl glanced over to Nicole and then to Rick. "He dead?"

Shane uttered out, "We're not sure."

That ticked Daryl off. His sweaty face turned redded as he spat out, "He either is or he ain't!"

Rick decided to step forwards, "No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it."

Daryl scoffed. He didn't know this man. This man was a complete stranger. "Who are you?" Daryl's knuckles clenched tighter around the rope in his hand.

"Rick Grimes,"

"Rick Grimes, you got something you wanna tell me?" Daryl spat out. He was getting angrier by the second.

Rick sighed, taking a half step forward. "Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there."

Daryl turned away from Rick. He wiped away the sweat and the forming tears from his eyes. Daryl had a ridiculous love for his brother, even if he was an ass most of the time. Daryl had just gotten him back and he was losing him. Again.

"Hold on." Daryl looked up to Nicole. She had these pleading eyes -- begging him to not do something stupid. "Lemme process this."

Daryl turned back to Rick, "You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!" Daryl yelled out. His neck veins began popping out and his face got impossibly redder.

Rick confirmed Daryl's statement. Daryl's demeanor flooded with anger as he threw the rope of squirrels at Rick. Shane tackled Daryl, knocking him on his ass. Pissed, Daryl unsheathed his knife. "Daryl, don't!" Nicole yelled.

In a fit of rage, he ignored her and began swinging at the two men. Within seconds, Rick disarmed him and Shane put him in a chokehold. "You best let me go!" Daryl yelled.

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't," Shane said as they lowered closer to the ground.

"Chokehold's illegal," Daryl grunted out while gripping Shane's arm.

"C'mon man, we could keep this up all day." Shane tightened his hold.

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we could manage that?" Rick asked him. He doubted the man would listen to reason, but he had to at least try to be civil.

Shane let go of Daryl, tossing him to the ground. Daryl tried to regain his breath as Rick leaned down to his level. "What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others."

T-Dog's voice interrupted, "It's not Rick's fault. I had the key." Nicole wanted to facepalm but she resisted the urge. "I dropped it."

"You couldn't pick it up?"

"I dropped it down a drain."

Daryl scoffed before looking down at the ground. His hand gripping the dirt below him in frustration. Nikki wanted to try to comfort him. Daryl stood up and threw down the fist of dirt he had. "If that's supposed to make me feel better, it don't."

"Well, maybe this will," T-Dog said, "Look, I chained the door to the roof -- so the geeks couldn't get at him -- with a padlock."

Rick stepped forward, "It's gotta count for something."

Daryl pushed back tears, "Hell with all of Y'all! Just tell me where he is. So's I can go get 'em."

Lori spoke up, "He'll show you. Isn't that right?"

"I'm going back," Rick stated, placing his hand on his hip. Lori rolled her eyes and turned to go into the RV. Nicole wondered what she was thinking. Obviously, Rick was gonna go back, especially after she mentioned it. Daryl stormed over to his crossbow, grabbing it, before striding to his tent.

"Chey, go play inside." Nicole ushered her child into the RV before chasing after Daryl. When she got to his tent, she could hear the sobs inside. "Daryl?"

Daryl sniffed, wiping away his tears. "What you want, woman?"

Nicole entered his tent and spotted him sitting on his sleeping bag with his knees to his chest. "I wanted to come to check on you."

"I'm fine, girl," he scoffed, "you ain't gotta worry about me."

Nicole bent down to his eye level. "Daryl," she whispered, "just shut up." The two say in silence for a moment. Neither moved. Nicole leaned forward and embraced the man in a gentle hug. Daryl didn't return it. "We'll get 'im back, okay? I promise."

Nicole retreated from the hug and exited the tent. She poked her head into the RV, checking on Cheyanne. The little girl sat there drawing while Carl and Sophia played cards.

Seeing that she was okay, Nicole made her way to her tent. Glenn's sleeping bag was curled into itself and his stuff was piled on top of it. Nicole chuckled before bending down to grab her backpack and her beloved baseball bat. She also grabbed her gun, tucking it into the back of her jeans.

She exited the tent as she flung her bag across her back. Nicole began walking back toward the camp. Daryl was exiting his tent and the Eliza and Louis had moved outside of the RV. Chey and Carl moved near the firepit beside Lori. Nicole walked over to her little girl, "How're you doing, love?"

Chey uttered out, "I'm okay, mama." Nicole examined the rash on her face. "I don't hurt as bad anymore."

Nicole nodded gently, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Nicole heard Shane raise his voice and she turned to it. "I don't okay, Rick? So could you just --" He started charging after Rick. "Could you throw me a bone here, man? Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?"

"Hey, choose your words more carefully," Daryl's raspy voice told Shane.

"No, I did. Douche bag is what I meant." Shane shifted on his feet. "Merle Dixon -- the guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst."

"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. I can't let a man die of thirst -- me. Thirst and exposure," Rick defended himself. "We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being."

Daryl gazed up to the two before meeting Nicole's eyes. He saw her bat in hand. He knew what she was planning on doing. Daryl wasn't going to have her risk her life for his brother.

"So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?" Lori questioned.

"And me," Nicole spoke up.

"Oh, hell no. I ain't having you out there," Daryl spat out. "I'm not covering your ass."

Nicole scoffed, "Dixon, have you forgotten how much I've covered yours?" Daryl rolled his eyes and returned to cleaning his arrows.

Rick turned to Glenn, who was behind him. Glenn sighed. Rick began talking, "You know the way. You've been there before--" Glenn took off his hat, questioning his choices now. "in and out, no problem. You said so yourself."

Glenn raked his hands through his hair and put on his hat again. "It's not fair of me to ask -- I know that -- but I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know they," he gestured to both Lori and Nicole, "would too."

Shane placed his hands on his hips, "That's just great. Now you're gonna risk four men, huh?"

"Five," T-Dog spoke up.

Daryl huffed, shaking his head. "My day just gets better and better, don't it?"

"You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?" T retaliated.

"Why you?" Daryl grunted out.

"You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language."

Nicole shook her bat, lifting it up to her shoulder. "That's five," Dale spoke up.

"It's not just five. You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that Rick," Shane started to argue, "Come on, you saw that walker. It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back, we need every able body we've got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect camp."

"It seems to me what you really need most here are more guns," Rick stated.

Realization spread across Glenn's face. "Right, the guns."

"What guns?"

Rick listed off the guns, "I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street waiting to be picked up."

"Ammo?"

"700 rounds, assorted," Rick stated.

"You went through hell to find us. You just got here and you're gonna turn around and leave?" Lori tried to convince her husband.

"Dad, I don't want you to go," Carl said.

"I don't want you going either, Mama." Cheyanne's plea followed Carl's.

Rick turned to his wife, giving her a frustrated look. "To hell with the guns. Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth your lives, even with guns thrown it."

"Lori, wouldn't you want us to come to get you if it were you on that rooftop?" Nicole inquired. Her best friend looked at her, almost appalled by what she was saying.

"I wouldn't want y'all risking your lives to save mine."

Rick began walking over to his wife. He began telling her about the man and his son who saved his life. How they were going to follow him to Atlanta and walk into the trap he did. He had to warn them and the only way he could was with a walkie-talkie that was in the bag that laid in the Atlanta streets.

"Is it our walkies?" Shane asked.

"Yeah."

"So use the CB, what's wrong with that?" Andrea questioned.

"The CB is fine. It's the walkies that suck to crap -- date back to the '70s, don't match any other bandwidth -- not even the scanners in our cars," Shane explained.

Reluctantly, everyone agreed on allowing this rescue mission. Chey came over to her mother. "Why do you have to go?"

Nicole bent down to her eye level. She noticed the wetness before her right eye and reached up to wipe it away. "I need to get some stuff."

Cheyanne nodded. "I want you to stay near Lori, Shane or Dale, no matter what. Okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," Cheyanne said as she looked down to he shoes.

"I love you, you know that right?" Nikki asked her daughter.

"I love you, too, Mama. You're gonna come back right?"

"Always. I promise." Nicole held out her pinky finger. Chey looked at it, before hooking her's around it. "Promise."

The blaring of the cube van's horn startled the two. Nicole sighed, before kissing her daughter's forehead and pulling her into a hug. Nicole pulled away and began walking toward the van.

When Nicole reached the edge of the van, Daryl offered her a hand inside. Nicole took it and entered the back of the vehicle. T climbed in, and Shane made sure to give Rick some ammo for his Python.

Rick came around and jumped into the passenger side. Daryl shut the back and sat back down beside Nicole. Glenn revved the van and began to pull out of the off-road.

They sat in silence until Nicole spoke up, "Hey, Rick." Nicole scooted up so that she could see in between the two seats.

"Yeah, what is it, Nikki?" he asked, looking back to his younger friend.

"While we are in the city, can we look for a pharmacy?" Nicole asked.

Rick sighed, "Chey's thing acting up again?"

Nicole nodded, raking her hair from her face. "After we get Merle and those guns, we will get her some medicine. Sound good?"

She uttered a thank you to him and sat back down next the Daryl. The wheels began trekking over something bumpy; Nicole assumed that they were getting close.

"He'd better be okay. It's my only word on the matter," Daryl threatened.

"I told you. The geeks can't get at him. The only thing that is gonna get through that door is us," T tried to reassure the man. Daryl wiped his red handkerchief across his lips as sweat dripped down.

Glenn pressed on the breaks and shifted the gears into park. He turned back toward the trio, "We walk from here."

Daryl jumped up and slid open the door, jumping out. T-Dog and Nicole followed right behind. The five of them began jogging down some train tracks, toward the building were Merle hopefully was.

They all jogged in silence until they reached Glenn's clipped fence. Everyone slid through and jumped over the guard rail. "Merle first or guns?" Rick asked.

"Merle! We ain't even having this conversation," Daryl argued.

"We are," Nicole hissed out the man. He sent her a glare but reverted it to the policeman.

Glenn climbed over the rail and the five began walking, "You know the geography. It's your call," Rick stated.

"Merle's closest. The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first," Glenn confirmed as they started jogging again.

There were a few walkers that Nicole and Daryl took care of since they had the quietest weapons. They got into the store. Nicole could smell the dead in this place. Rick confirmed her suspicions when he halted the group and pointed to one.

Daryl swished around Rick and made his way over to the woman. Nicole sighed. With a few twists of fate, that could have been her. "Damn, you are one ugly skank," Daryl spat, before unleashing a bolt into the walker's head.

He grabbed his bolt and pulled it out of the woman's head. The group started to run up the stairs to the padlocked door. T cut the door, and Daryl ran in calling his brother's name. Nicole followed in suit, but when she stepped down one step, she saw Daryl frozen.

She saw Merle's hand laying on the ground -- pale and covered in blood. Daryl paced back and forth as his only words were, "No!"

What's up everyone! It's ya girl. I hope y'all had a fantastic 4th of July. If you didn't celebrate, regardless, I hope you had a fantastic day! I love you all, my beautiful babies :)) have a great rest of your day/night. Remember be respectful and stay safe. You all matter and someone loves you. Even if you don't think so, I do. Anyway, love y'all. I shall see you in a few days! Peaceeeeee

-erin


	17. 15

Nicole knew what it was like to have her heart ripped out. She knew what it was like to lose someone she loved ever so dearly. She knew what it was like to mourn someone whom she didn't know was alive or not.

She could feel Daryl's heart almost break inside his chest. She could feel the ever-growing rage that was building inside him because it never left her's.

The wind started to blow across the roof. It swept through Nicole's hair and carried the faint smell of blood. Nicole could almost taste the iron as it went into her nose. She hated the taste and smell of blood. God knows she tasted it a fair amount of times.

Daryl shifted his weight back and forth as the rest of the group moved down the steps. Nicole stepped down and saw the lone, bloody hand laying on the ground. Her stomach churned at the sight.

Everything happened in a split second. Daryl spun around, aiming T-Dog's head. Nicole was about to try and stop him but Rick placed his Python to his head. Notably, Daryl paused to question his future actions. "I won't hesitate. I don't care if every walker in the city hears it."

"Daryl put it down. It's not worth it," Nicole cooed as she shimmed herself between T and the arrow.

With a tearful sigh, Daryl put down the crossbow, which led to Rick lowering his gun. T-Dog and Nicole took a deep breath. T nudged his friend's arm as if trying to say thank you. Nicole nodded in return.

"You got a do-rag or something?" Daryl questioned.

T-Dog pulled a black handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Daryl. He snatched it and turned back to his brother's hand. Daryl set his crossbow against the pipe that ran across the building. With a reluctant sigh, he bent down and laid the blue piece of fabric down next to his brother's hand.

"I guess the saw blade was to dull for the handcuffs," Daryl stated matter-of-factly as he picked up the hand. He examined it for a second, "Ain't that a bitch."

Daryl folded the handkerchief over the hand and stood back up. "Nik, turn around." Nicole sighed and did as he said. Daryl shoved the hand into her indigo backpack and turned to grab his crossbow again. "He must have used a tourniquet -- maybe his belt. Be much more blood if he didn't."

Nicole knew that Merle wasn't the smartest man. She knew that he was high and panicking. However, she pondered something. Why the hell would he cut off his hand when he could just break his thumb and slip it?

"At least he left us a trail." Nicole shrugged as she followed the crossbow-wielding man that walked in front of her. Daryl scoffed as he walked through the door it led out of. Nicole held her bat on her shoulder as she followed wearily behind her redneck friend.

Rick was hot on her trail; his gun drawn in case of emergency. Daryl led the small group to a staircase. Nicole watched as Daryl peered over the railing. "Merle? You in here?"

"Daryl," Nicole whispered. The man didn't bat an eye to her before continuing down the steps. The trail had started to thin and seemingly went dark when it got to a hallway. Daryl glanced back to Nicole, who cocked her head. Daryl went inside the single room and came back out when he didn't see a sign of his brother.

Rick turned the corner and they group continued forwards. Merle's blood had single drops on the carpeting under their feet. They got to the administrative room, where two dead walkers laid. Their heads beat in with the bloody wrench that resides a foot away.

"Had enough in him to take out these two sumbitches," Daryl paused as he observed his brothers work, "one-handed." He placed his crossbow on the ground and pulled the drawstring.

"Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother," Daryl said as he locked in the string.

"Biggest asshole I ever met, your brother," Nicole shot back.

Daryl lifted up his crossbow and put in an arrow. He shot a look to Nicole before shooting back, "Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails."

Rick stepped forwards, cradling his Python. "Any man could pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is."

The group pressed forwards. They stayed silent as they pressed through the building. No one spoke, no one questioned where Daryl was leading. Nicole noticed the varied patches of splattered blood on the ground and some smears on the walls. It almost turned her stomach. Almost.

They reached the kitchen. "Merle!" Daryl called out.

"We're not alone here," Rick told him. "Remember?"

"Screw that, he could be bleeding out. Said so yourself." Daryl shot him down.

Nicole stepped through the kitchen's arch. A wave of stench flooded her nostrils. As they entered the room, it became evident what that wretched smell was. The scene almost laid itself in front of the five. Merle's bloody belt laid beside the flames of the stovetop -- blood smeared everywhere.

Rick picked up a palette that had the remains of charred skin. Nicole realized what had happened before they had arrived. Merle, half bled out and delirious out of his mind, had cauterized the stump he had created.

"What's that burned stuff?" Glenn questioned as he got closer.

"Skin. Merle cauterized his wound," Nicole told him as she walked past the men huddled around it. She noticed the hardened bread that layered on the bread racks. It made her hungry.

"I told y'all he was tough," Daryl paused, "ain't nobody gonna kill Merle but Merle."

Nicole noticed the broken glass that resided on the window seal. She noticed the blood that dripped from the glass and the bloodied towel on the ledge.

"Don't take that on faith. He's lost a lot of blood," Rick said.

"You don't say," Nicole flashed out in sarcasm. "Look at this, Y'all."

"Clearly that blood loss didn't stop him from busting out of this deathtrap," Daryl stated as he walked over to this blonde friend. Daryl nudged her back with his crossbow. Nicole took it as her sign to move out of his way so he could look at it.

"He left the building? Why the hell would he do that?" Glenn asked, exasperated.

"Why wouldn't he?" Daryl questioned rhetorically.

"He thinks he's alone. He's trying to stay alive, Glenn." Nicole set her bat down between her legs and crossed her arms. "Merle's just doing what he has to do to survive. Stupidly, yes, but he's doing it."

Daryl glanced at the woman before walking out of the doorframe Nicole stood beside. "You call that surviving, Nicole?" T-Dog asked, "He's out there wandering the streets and possibly passing out."

Nicole nodded to her friend. "His odds may not be great but yeah. I consider that surviving, T."

"What he's done is no worse than being handcuffed and left by to rot by you sorry pricks," Daryl spat as he marched back in. Both Glenn and T-Dog avoided Daryl's gaze. Nicole knew they felt guilt for what happened -- T-Dog especially.

Daryl got into Rick's face saying, "You couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard." Nicole felt the tension growing. She stood back up straight and held onto her bat.

"What about a thousand dumb dead bastards? Different story?" Rick shot back.

"Why don't you take a tally? Do what you want. I'm gonna go get him." Daryl tried to walk past Rick, who pushed him back.

"Daryl, wait," Rick spat out. Nicole's grip tightened on her bat as she worried about what would happen next.

"Get your hands off me! You can't stop me," Daryl yelled. Nicole immediately cringed from how loud he was being. She noticed Glenn did as well.

"I don't blame you. He's family, I get that. I went through hell to find mine," Rick firmly stated. "I know exactly how you feel."

Daryl's face expressed an amount of rage that Nicole had never seen. Even with Jess, she never saw this much.

"He can't get far with that injury. We could help you check a few blocks around, but only if we keep a level head." Rick tried to be rational with the angered man. Nicole could only hope that it would set with him.

Daryl's eyes shot to Nicole's for a brief second. He noticed the pleading look on them. "I could do that."

Nicole sighed in relief that there wasn't a brawl that took place. She didn't want to take sides. She didn't want to choose between whom she knew longest or whom she survived with. That was a decision she hoped she never had to make.

T-Dog shook his head, "Only if we get those guns first. I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, okay?"

"We're gonna need a plan if we are gonna do this," Nicole blatantly stated.

Glenn nodded, "C'mon. I have an idea." He pushed past everyone nervously and searched for a room. The group followed him silently until he found a room. They all piled in as Glenn began rifling through the desk drawers. "Jackpot." He said as he pulled out a sharpie, a sticky note, a magnet, eraser, and clip.

Nicole leaned against a desk as she observed the Korean boy scribble boxes on the floor. "I am going to run out and grab the bag. You guys will cover me."

"You're not doing this alone," Rick spoke with authority. He stepped forward with his hands on his hips.

"Even I think it's a bad idea and I don't even like you much," Daryl spoke out.

Nicole rolled her eyes at the man, "What's your plan, Glenn?"

Glenn looked up to her, giving her a thankful nod, which she returned. "It's a good idea, okay, if you just hear me out," Glenn begged.

Rick bent down to analyze Glenn's plan. "If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention." Glenn began, "If I'm alone, I can move fast. Look."

Glenn pulled forwards the supplies he recovered. He set down the clip by the edge of a 'building'. "That's the tank, five blocks from where we are now," he explained before placing a crumbled up sticky note beside it. "That's the bag of guns."

Nicole cocked her head at the boy's plan. She wondered how he spat out this idea in half a second.

"Here is the alley I dragged you into when we first met." He pointed at the gap between buildings. "That's where Daryl, Nicole, and I will go."

"Why us?" Daryl inquired.

"Your crossbow and her bat are quieter than his gun," Glenn said as he placed the magnet down. "While Daryl and Nicole wait in the alley, I'll run up the street and grab the bag."

Rick cocked his head slightly, "You got us elsewhere?"

"You and T-Dog, right," Glenn started to explain as he placed down the eraser. "You'll be in this alley here."

"Why put them two blocks away?" Nicole asked.

Glenn looked up to her, "I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off." He started pointing at his plan, "If that happens I won't go back to Daryl and Nicole. I'll go forwards instead. All the way to that alley where they are. Whichever direction I go, I have you in both places to cover me."

"Makes sense," Nicole muttered under her breath as she shifted her weight off of the desk.

"Afterwards, we'll all meet back here," Glenn concluded.

Nicole nodded before looking down to her dainty tennis shoes. "Hey, kid, what'd you do before all of this?" Daryl broke the short silence.

Glenn looked confused, "Delivered pizzas. Why?"

Daryl shrugged and Rick nodded. "All right, we better get going then."

Everyone stood up, glancing to one another. "You two better not die on me," Nicole stated as she pointed to Rick and T-Dog.

Rick chuckled, "We're not going anywhere, Nikki." He pulled her into a gentle hug, kissing the top of her head. "Let's go."

The group split and began going to their designated areas. As they left, Daryl spotted a female walker. She had a torn purple skirt and a bloody white shirt. It was evident that the bite mark on her neck had been the reason for her death. Daryl shot his arrow into her head and went to retrieve his arrow.

Other than that, their path was silent other than the sound of their footsteps. Glenn opened the balcony door and walked over to the ladder. With a huff of nervousness, he began climbing down. Nicole slid her bat into the small opening of her bag and followed him. Daryl followed after her.

The dropped to the ground and Nicole's hands went for her bat. She pulled it out and held onto it tighter than ever. The trio began stalking forwards to two dumpsters where Nicole and Daryl would stay.

Tension and nerves were high. They reached the area between dumpsters, and Daryl readied his bow with a pull of the string. Glenn pulled off the layer of flannel, so it wouldn't get caught. "You got some balls for a chinaman," Daryl said.

Nicole rolled her eyes as she took Glenn's flannel. "I'm Korean," Glenn spat back before making his way around the dumpster.

"Whatever." Daryl shrugged as he pulled out an arrow. Nicole and Daryl crouched in unison. The grip on her bat tightened as she watched her friend run into the streets of the walker-infested city.

"He'll be fine," Daryl murmured to try to calm her nerves.

"I know," she responded as her thumb nervously stroked the pad of her bat.

Nicole got started when Daryl tensed, "Wha-" Daryl cut her off before jumping out and aiming his bow at a kid's head. Nicole shot up with her bat ready to swing.

"Whoa, don't shoot me! What do you want?" the boy yelled.

"For you to be quiet," Nicole hissed out as she came around the dumpster.

Daryl got closer to the boy. "I'm looking for my brother. He's been hurt real bad. You seen him?"

The boy yelled, "Ayudame!"

"Hey, be quiet! Walkers will come!" Nicole scolded as quiet as possible.

"Answer me," Daryl persisted.

The boy yelled the same thing again.

"Daryl, stop!" Nicole pleaded. He, of course, didn't listen.

"Answer me," Daryl forcefully said.

"Ayudame!" The kid began yelling one time after the other.

"Do something to get him to shut up!" Nicole hissed out, bolding her bat up higher.

Daryl swung his crossbow across the boy's face, knocking him to the ground. "I didn't mean that!" She scolded as Daryl shoved his hand over the kid's mouth.

Three men ran around the corner, startling Nicole. "Daryl!" She yelled as one kicked him off of the boy and the other began beating him with his bat. The third one aimed his gun at Nicole.

Nicole couldn't do anything with a gun aimed for her forehead. That's when Glenn ran around the corner. "Gle--"

"That's the bag, Vato. Take it! Take it!" One of the men started yelling and the men that were beating Daryl ran after Glenn. They knocked him down with a swing of a bat. Nicole heard a whoosh and then a scream. Daryl shot one of the men in the ass.

The man with pointing a gun at Nicole's head grabbed her and aimed it at her head. He used her as a shield while Daryl reloaded his crossbow. A car pulled in front of the alleyway and the other men grabbed Glenn. They pulled the two to the car. Both Glenn and Nicole cried for Daryl's help.

They shoved the two of them in the vehicle and drove off. Nicole fought against the grasp. She yelled and one of the men put their hand over her mouth. With as much force as she could muster, her teeth bit down exceptionally hard onto it.

That is when the butt of a gun met the back of her head and she got knocked out.


	18. 16

Nicole's head pounded. There was ringing and she could feel her pulse inside her head. She could taste iron in her mouth and feel it on her lips. Nicole tried to reach her hand up to cradle her head, but it was stunted.

The blonde woman's head spun as she lifted up her head. Her blurry vision made out the ropes that bound her to a chair. "Shit."

"Nikki, you awake?" a voice said from beside her. It shot through her head like a bullet, causing her to groan in pain.

Nicole uttered out, "Yes." She looked up to the source of it. Her eyes met the brown of the one and only Glenn Rhee. "Heya, peach."

"Oh, thank god. I thought you'd never wake up," he praised. "You all right?"

Nicole shut her eyes for a moment. "Dunno. My head hurts," she muttered.

"Isn't that expected when you get hit in the head with a gun?" he questioned.

She opened her green eyes and tried to focus on her friend's face. It kept blurring in and out. "That's what happened?" Nicole asked as she put her head onto the back of the chair. "That sumbitch must've hit hard."

Nicole shut her eyes again. "Nicole, stay awake." Glenn pleaded.

"It's getting hard too," she uttered.

"Hey! Someone get in here!" Glenn yelled. Nicole cringed as his voice went through her eyes.

"Hush, child," she hissed out as her head pounded. The door into the room opened and two men walked in. Nicole kept her eyes shut, trying to cut the pulsating pain that was shooting through her head.

"What're you yelling about?" one of the men asked.

"My friend," Glenn's voice rang out, "I think she has a concussion."

"Felipe, check her out," the same man said.

Nicole could feel her restraints getting cut. Once they were, she groaned as she lifted up her head. She cradled it with her hands.

The man, which she assumed to be Felipe, bent down in front of her. He looked at her and held up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up, amiga?"

Nicole looked up. Her vision was blurry and still swirled a bit. "Uh, two?" she hesitantly answered. Felipe placed his hand on her leg and stood up. He walked out. "Glenn, what just happened?"

"Nikki, he held up three fingers. Not two," He responded.

"Shit," she uttered.

Nicole looked up to the remaining man. Though her blurry vision she could see he was shorter in stature."If I cut you loose, don't attack, okay?" he said to Glenn. Glenn nodded and the man bent down and cut him free.

"My name is Guillermo. People here call me G, though," he spoke as he leaned back against the desk.

"I'm Glenn. She's Nicole." Glenn spoke up as he rubbed his wrists.

G smirked as he watched Nicole lean forward into her hands. "You put up one helluva fight. I'm sorry that my man knocked you out, though."

"What'd I do again?" she questioned.

G chuckled, "Bit the hell out of him. He needed stitches."

"That explains the iron taste in my mouth," she complained as Felipe walked back in.

He opened up her hand and put three aspirins in it. Nicole looked at him curiously. "To help with your headache and dizziness," he said as he handed her water.

Nicole chucked the pills into her mouth and chugged down some water. "Thank you," she murmured.

"You're welcome," Felipe said quietly, "You have a mild concussion. Make sure to stay hydrated and don't do a lot of running."

Nicole laughed sarcastically, "Kinda hard to not do the latter in this world."

Glenn gave out a laugh, "Nice to see that your sarcasm didn't fade."

The blonde woman looked over her friend, "Never, peach."

The two friends gave slight smiles to each other before a man ran in. "G, they're here."

"Sorry, that we have to do to you guys." G and Felipe grabbed the two and pinned their hands behind their backs. Nicole got a wave of dizziness as she got pulled up. Their hands got duct taped, as did their mouths. Pillowcases were thrown over their heads and they began getting pushed from the room they were in.

Nicole tripped going upstairs, both from not being able to see and the fact that her head was spinning again. She heard a door creak in front of her and she got yanked backward.

She could feel her knees start to buckle as her body swayed. All she wanted right now was to sit down. Nicole's knees buckled when a voice yelled from below them. She got pulled up and pushed forward. The bag got ripped from her head.

Nicole's eye slammed shut from the sudden sunlight. When she opened them, she saw the seemingly perilous drop below her. She whimpered as the possibility of her fate. She whimpered at the possibility of never seeing her daughter again. She whimpered about leaving her daughter alone in a world like this.

Nicole felt a tear stray from her left eye. She watched the group below her talk. Eventually, G started to walk back inside and the men pulled Glenn and her back into the building.

When they got back inside, G personally pulled off and cut the duct tape from the two. "I'm sorry about that. Show of Force," he apologized.

Nicole didn't say anything before she sat down. "How's your head?" he asked.

She scoffed, "Fantastic. Almost being thrown off of a roof helped a lot."

G chuckled, "You'll be fine."

"Let me know if you need anything. If not, come join everyone," G started to walk out.

"Wait," Nicole shot up. She regretted it when the room spun. Glenn rushed to her side to help her side back down. "I know this is a lot to ask, especially since our group is at odds right now," she paused looking up to the man.

"What is it?" G questioned, placing his hands on his hips.

"Prednisone. Do you know if you have any?" She asked as she grabbed onto Glenn's hand on her shoulder.

"May I ask why?"

"My daughter has an autoimmune disease. She's out of medicine," Nicole responded in an almost pleading tone.

"I'll talk to Felipe. See if we have some to give to you," G said in a gentle tone.

"Thank you." Nicole gave him a smile.

"No problem," he said before he walked out. Nicole looked down to her red wrists and rubbed them. Glenn adjusted his baseball cap, and Nicole gazed down to her feet. She realized that she only had one shoe.

"Glenn," she began, "where the hell is my shoe?"

The Korean started to laugh at his friend. Nicole started laughing after him, "I'm serious. I need that." The two couldn't keep a straight face after that. Nicole's head was still pounding and her vision got blurry from time to time, but she didn't let it completely stop her.

Sooner than later, the two found themselves outside of the room with some elderly people and few Chihuahuas. Nicole had to use Glenn as structural support every now and then when she'd get a dizzy spell.

Nicole realized the number of elderly people that resided in this place; she couldn't believe that they lasted this long. These people -- young and old -- were surviving together, bound to each other in the worst of times. This gave her hope. Hope that someday, things would return to normal.

Everything was going fine. Glenn and Nicole were playing some cards and talking with these joyful, optimistic people. It brought a genuine smile to their faces. That was until one of the elders, Mr. Gilbert, started hyperventilating. "He's having an asthma attack," Nicole stated.

One of the other men, Carlito, rushed to try to find an inhaler. "I can't find it!" he yelled.

"Mr, Gilbert," Nicole shakily bent down. It was a really shitty time for the dizziness to come. "Breathe with me and count 1, 2, 3," she encouraged.

"C'mon, repeat after me," she spoke softly, "one,"

"One," Mr. Gilbert mimicked, as he tried to catch his breath.

"C'mon, two." She set her hand on his knee as she tried to help him.

"Two,"

"You're doing great, Mr. Gilbert," Nicole praised, "three,"

"Three,"

Mr. Gilbert managed to catch his breath a little bit. Luckily, Felipe ran over with an inhaler and helped him get his breath back.

Nicole glanced over, seeing Rick, T-Dog, and Daryl walking over. She stood up, probably way to fast. "Woah, easy, Nikki." Glenn grabbed ahold of her as she lost balance.

"What the hell is this?" Rick asked as Glenn held onto the dizzy girl.

"An asthma attack. He couldn't catch his breath all of a sudden," Glenn told him.

"I thought you two were getting eaten by dogs," T-Dog exasperated.

Nicole chuckled, gazing over to the dogs, "Those mutts? Totally." The group glanced over to dogs, which started barking.

"Can I have word with you?" Rick pulled G aside. "You are the dumbest son of a bitch I ever met. We walked in here ready to kill every last one of you."

"I'm glad it didn't go down that way," G said.

"And if it had, that blood would be on my hands," Rick responded, gazing back at Mr. Gilbert.

"Mine too. We'd have fought back, wouldn't be the first time we've had to," G retaliated. "Protect the food, the medicine -- what's left of it." Nicole suddenly felt guilty for asking for some medicine for her little girl. In fact, she felt guilty for needing some herself. "These people, the old ones -- the staff took off, just left 'em here to die."

"Me and Felipe were the only ones who stayed," G finished.

"What are you, doctors?" Rick asked. Nicole clutched onto Glenn's shirt. She felt her stomach turn with nausea. She didn't want to tell anyone though.

"Felipe's a nurse -- special care provider. Me, I'm the custodian," G replied. Nicole did not expect for Guillermo to be a simple custodian. He held an authority stance that could have taken years to develop, but here he was. End of the freaking world with a sea of followers at his disposal.

"Let's go somewhere else," G suggested before walking away. Rick immediately followed, so did T-Dog. Daryl looked back to the girl holding on to her friend.

"What happened to 'er?" he asked, motioning toward Nicole.

"She bit a guy and got knocked out," Glenn said in a nonchalant voice. "She's got a small concussion."

"Yeah, and I have one less shoe. That's great too." Nicole complained, lifting her foot up slightly.

"You're still more worried about your shoe than your head?" Glenn questioned as he looked down at her.

"Well, obviously." She smirked at his reaction.

Daryl sighed and pulled something out from the tuck of his jeans. "I grabbed this before we ran." It was Nicole's dainty shoe. "Ain't gonna hold much longer. Gonna need to find you some boots, girl."

Nicole grinned and grabbed her shoe from his hand. "Thank you, Daryl." She said as she slid it back on.

The trio followed the rest of the group into the back room where G and Rick were talking. "Where is the rest of your crew?" Rick asked. Glenn let go of Nicole. She leaned on the wall for some support. Daryl decided to stand close to her in the chance she needed some extra.

"Some vatos trickle in to check on their parents, their grandparents. They see how things are and most decide to stay. It's a good thing too. We need the muscle," G told Rick. "The people we've encountered since things fell apart, the worst kind -- plunderers, the kind that take by force."

"That's not who we are," Rick stated, giving G a sympathetic look.

"How was I to know? My people got attacked and you show up with Miguel hostage -- appearances."

"Guess the world changed," T-Dog stated.

"No. It's the same as it ever was. The weak get taken," G paused, "so we do what we can here. The Vatos work on those cars, talk about getting the old people out of the city. But most can't even get to the bathroom by themselves so that's just a dream."

Nicole felt tired. She leaned her head against the wall and shut her eyes -- hoping the faint pounding would completely go away. She began tuning out the conversation between Rick and G. When G yelled for someone named Marco, it scared her half to death.

Her bloodshot eyes opened as the man, she assumed was Marco, entered. "Go and grab this woman's bag." G told him. Marco nodded and walked off.

Nicole saw that Rick was setting down guns. She was confused. Had she really dozed off that much?

Marco walked back in with the familiar indigo. Nicole noticed the bite mark on his hand as handed it back to her. "I'm sorry," she uttered out, "I panicked and I'm sorry."

Marco nodded in understanding, "We all do what we have to in order to survive. You put up one hell of a fight." Nicole smiled and took her bag from him. Marco walked out of the room.

"I had Felipe put a couple of bottles of what you asked for in there -- what we could spare," G told Nicole. "It's not a lot, but hopefully it will be enough for your little girl for a while."

"Thank you, G. I'll repay the favor one day," she smiled as dug through the bag for her .9mm. Once she found it, she tucked it into her jeans and pulled the straps of the backpack over her shoulders.

"You repay me by getting those meds into that little girl of yours," he told her as Rick zipped up the bag. Rick gave them as many guns as he could spare without risking the camps life.

"We've got to get going," Rick sighed as he pulled Nicole's bat from the bag. He then strapped the remaining guns across his back. "It was a pleasure, Guillermo."

"Likewise." G walked the group to the door and opened it. "You guys take care of yourselves."

"You too," Rick said as G shut the door.

The group began walking away from the Vatos and Nicole felt her nausea start getting worse. Glenn stood by her in case of a dizzy spell that would cause her to fall. "Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat," Glenn joked.

"Don't tell anybody," Rick chuckled.

Daryl scoffed, "You've given away half of our guns and ammo."

"It was not half, Daryl," Nicole shot out softly as she placed her bat on her shoulder.

"For what, a bunch of old farts who are going to die off momentarily anyhow?" Daryl continued to shoot at Rick. "Seriously, how long do you think the got?"

"How long do any of us?" Rick questioned.

The group reached the end of a broken down bus near the train tracks the parked at. "Where the hell's the van? Please tell me I'm hallucinating," Nicole begged.

"You're not," Daryl quipped out.

"Who the hell would take it?" Glenn asked, worriedly.

"Merle," Rick stated.

"He's gonna be taking some vengeance back to camp," Daryl told Rick.

"I guess this means we're walking then," Nicole groaned.

"No, this means we're running. C'mon," Rick stated before he started jogging away. Nicole watched as T-Dog and Daryl followed after him.

"Fantastic," Nicole groaned before she and Glenn started jogging too. "I'm not supposed to be doing this," she grumbled.

"We've gotta get back in a hurry," Rick called out and continued on.

The sun was setting fast. It was about as fast as the bile that was coming to Nicole's throat. The group was running up the hill close to camp. "I can't." Nicole stopped, bending over.

"C'mon, Nicole. We can't stop," T pressured.

"Give her a moment. We can catch our breaths a sec," Rick said with a sigh.

Nicole's vision swayed as she bent over. Felipe was right, running with a concussion was something she shouldn't have done. Nicole felt the bile press against her throat. And eventually, she emptied the little amount of food she had in her system. It was watery and contained the remnants of the bag of chips she ate a Guillermo's.

"You okay?" Glenn asked, placing his hand on his friend's back.

"I'm fine," Nicole stood back up straight. Her head was swaying as she wiped off the vomit from the corner of her mouth. "Let's go."

The group glanced to each other before continuing to run up the hill. Nicole was getting more and more tired by the second. The fact that night had finally fallen made it much, much worse.

Then the screams and gunshots erupted. "Oh my god," Rick muttered out. The whole group ran impossibly faster to get to the camp. Nicole forced herself to keep going regardless of how tired she was.

When they got to camp, all hell had broke loose. Walkers were everywhere. Nicole pulled out her gun and started shooting. When a walker would get to close, she'd swing at it with her bat.

When she noticed that the others had the rest within a few shots of being clear, she called out for her baby girl. "Cheyanne! Cheyanne!"

"Mama!" the little girl's cry erupted as she ran to her mother. Nicole scooped her up and hugged her with all of her might.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Nicole sobbed into Cheyanne's shirt. Nicole didn't notice Daryl protectively standing behind her as it waiting for another walker to make its way over to them.

Nicole noticed Andrea leaning over someone. It took her a moment to realize who it was. Nicole's heart broke. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her eyes filled with tears and they fell from her green orbs. "Oh my god," she murmured, before burying Cheyanne's face into her shoulder.

Amy was dead.

She was really dead.

hey y'all! i hope you had a great day and i hope you enjoy this chapter. my day was anxiety ridden. my mom and i went to an awkward dinner with my father (who from now on i will refer to as sperm donor, k?) who walked out on us after i confronted him about the verbal abuse he's put my mom and i through. it was horrible. i mean, i got free food but still. anyway, not important. i hope you guys have a great rest of your day/night. say hi to a stranger, tell your parents you love them, give a homeless person some money. i love you all, be safe and make smart choices. i'll see you on monday! peaceee -erin


	19. 17

It wasn't often that Nicole truly saw red. Sure, there was a constant stream of walker blood that she wiped from her bat. But that isn't what 'truly seeing red' meant to her. Every so often, Nicole would get buried in emotions. Those emotions would swallow her whole -- most of the time resulting in her doing idiotic things. Nicole saw red. Both in the literal and figurative way.

Nicole glanced around the blood splattered camp. She took note of the number of bodies that laid on the ground -- her friends and the walkers that took their lives. Her emotions wanted to break her down. They wanted to consume her just as the ravenous monsters did. Tears piled in her green orbs, threatening to spill over as she mourned the place she once considered safe. She mourned the place that she started to consider home.

Nicole took note as her group started fires. She noticed as they started to pull the monsters into it. She noticed the tentative care that her people used to pull their dead friends close to the blue truck she drove in for days on end.

She started to pick up on the building tension as people gathered around the small fire that the fish fry resided at the night before. Nicole stroked Cheyanne's hair in efforts to calm both of them down. She could feel the shallow, sleeping breaths on her shoulder.

As Rick walked over, Nicole stood up and walked toward the RV. Nicole didn't know how Dale would feel about her sleeping in his bed. Nicole laid her little girl in the booth around the table. She grabbed a small throw blanket and covered Cheyanne's small frame. After the attack, Cheyanne could not fall asleep. Images were flashing across her mind, similarly to her mother's.

Nicole departed the RV. She instantly saw her sheriff friend with a gun to his face. Nicole tensed as Andrea spat out, "I know how the safety works."

Rick held his hand up and started moving backward. "I'm sorry," he repeated until she pulled the gun back in her lap. Nicole nervously made her way back to the huddled group. It felt like everything but nothing was happening at the same time. She wasn't sure if it was from her concussion or if it was from the whole contradiction, but something was giving her a headache.

Daryl stormed over pickaxe in hand. "Y'all can't be serious. Let that girl hamstring us? The dead girl's a timebomb."

Nicole scoffed, "Isn't that what you thought about us when we first met?"

"That's different, Nicole. And you know it," he spat out to the girl.

Rick shifted before asking, "What do you suggest?"

Daryl took a few steps forward. Nicole tensed at the angered stature he held. "Take the shot." Daryl glanced to Nicole in the corner of his eye. "Clean, in the brain from here."

"Hell, I could hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance." Daryl pointed toward Andrea.

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Daryl, about time you realized something," she began, "Not everyone can be the remorseless prick that you are." Daryl was taken aback but her sudden outburst. "Andrea needs to mourn. If she wants to deal with it, let her." Nicole glanced to the grieving woman. "Who the hell do you think you are trying to take that choice away from her?"

Daryl gave her a loathing look. He turned around and scoffed as he stormed away. Daryl was vexed. Not so much with the fact that this group could barely wash their panties alone, but by the fact that they had seemingly turned the last person he cared for against him. That's what got him. It made him want to snap.

Nicole sat beside Lori. Her head pounded from every little noise. "How's your head, Nikki?" Rick inquired as he bent down in front of her.

The blonde woman sighed and gently shook her head. "Feels like Daryl's repetitively driving that pickaxe into it," she said as she rubbed her aching eyes.

Rick smirked at her analogy. "Well, you rest here. I don't need you almost passing out again." Blue met Green and she nodded. Nicole watched as the color spots jumped in her vision.

"We don't burn them!" Glenn's voice ripped through the silence. Nicole's head shot up toward the boy's voice. Glenn was taking the loss of his home hard. He wanted to rewind time to save every one of his friends. He hated that he was burying most of them.

Nicole took note as Morales and Daryl started to drag away Donovan's body. Donovan was a nice kid. He always made sure to sneak some chocolate from his sister and give to Cheyanne. Nicole and he had bonded over their love for Diet Dr. Pepper. Nicole tried to remember the taste of her favorite drink. She remembered how the two made a pact to split one if they ever found it.

"You reap what you sow!" Daryl cracked out as he pulled Donovan's body. He dropped it. "Y'all left my brother for dead," he yelled as he peered around camp. "You had this comin'!" Daryl stormed over to grab his pickaxe again.

Everyone glanced at Nicole. "Not today," she said as she held her hands up. Nicole didn't want to squabble with the redneck anymore than she already had that day. But, it was Daryl. Hot-headed Daryl. Nicole was bound to meet some backlash, especially from her quip earlier.

Nicole's entire body shot up when Jacqui yelled at Jim. Dizziness waved through her body from the jolt; she tried to not let it show. "A walker got him. A walker bit Jim."

Nicole tensed. She wondered if she had heard Jacqui correctly. She began walking toward Jim. "Jim, it's okay."

"Show it to us," Daryl demanded, shooting Nicole's attempt to calm him the situation down.

Jim turned in a panicked hurry and grabbed a shovel. That's when chaos broke out. Everyone was yelling at the man. None of it was helping to calm things down. If anything, Nicole thought it was making things worse.

In heat of the moment, T-Dog ran up behind Jim, grabbing his arms and pulling him back. Daryl rushed forward and pulled up his shirt. There, on the left side of his stomach, laid a prominent bite mark. "I'm okay," Jim started to repeat as T-Dog let go.

Nicole sighed and stepped forward to Jim. "C'mon, Jim. Let's sit you down," she softly spoke. Nicole leads him over to a small crate by the end of the RV. She helped the man sit down. "Do you want some water, Jim?"

"No. No, thank you, Nicole." Jim started to cradle his head in his hands. The infection started to take its toll on him. This dreadful heat wasn't helping his predicament.

"All right, well, if you need anything, let me know, okay?"

Jim nodded and Nicole walked over to the cluster of people. The first thing she heard was, "I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it."

"We're not doing that," Nicole spat as she stood behind the redneck.

"Whatever," he grumbled.

"Is that what you'd want if it were you?" Shane asked as he looked up from the dirt.

"Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it," Daryl said, tapping his fingers on the wood of the pickaxe.

Dale spoke out his unpopular opinion, "I hate to say it -- never thought I would -- but maybe Daryl's right."

Nicole shook her head, "Jim's not a monster. He's our friend and he's sick."

"She's right. If we start down that road, where do we draw that line?" Rick asked.

"Line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers, or them to be," Daryl's gravelly voice spoke out.

"He's still human, Daryl! He still has time. He's not some brainless freak -- not yet at least," Nicole lectured, "he is still a human, with wishes and feelings. He deserves to be treated like one and not like the shit you wipe off of your shoe."

"What if we could get him help?" Rick suddenly inquired as he looked among the group. "I heard the CDC was working on a cure."

"I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell," Shane replied.

"What if the CDC is still up and running?"

"Man, that's a stretch right there." Shane glanced down to the ground.

"Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn't they?" Rick defended himself, "I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection."

Shane sighed before counterarguing, "Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right? I do too, okay? Now if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning."

Nicole ran her hand through her hair as Lori said, "That's a hundred miles in the opposite direction."

"That is right. But it's away from the hot zone," Shane tried to convince his partner. "Now listen to me. If that place is operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there."

Rick started again with his defense. Nicole's headache was worse than ever with all of this arguing. She noticed when Daryl started looking back to Jim as the two continued to argue. "Daryl, no. Please," she whispered as she placed her hand on his bare shoulder.

Daryl shrugged off her touch as he returned his attention in front of him. "The CDC is our best choice and Jim's only chance," Rick concluded.

Nicole saw Daryl's hand clutch around his weapon. "You go looking for aspirin, do what you need to do," he stated as he stepped back and turned around. "Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!"

Rick put his gun to Daryl's head right before his fatal swing. Nicole tensed at the sight. "Rick," she uttered. He ignored her.

"We don't kill the living," Rick firmly stated as Shane moved in front of the infected man.

"That's funny coming from a man who just put a gun to my head," Daryl graveled.

"We may not agree on some things, but not on this. You put it down," Shane backed Rick up.

Daryl slammed down his pickaxe and stormed off to his tent. Nicole ran after him even though she knew the shit show that was about to happen between them.

"Hey, hillbilly," she uttered as she entered the tent. Daryl sat on his sleeping bag with his head in his hands.

"The hell you want?" he grumbled out as he looked up to her.

Nicole bent down in front of him. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Daryl scoffed, "No. You don't."

"Excuse me?"

"You want to be a nosy rich bitch. You don't give a shit about anyone but yourself and that bastard child of your's," Daryl snapped.

Nicole sneered as she stood up, "And to think, I thought you were better than your piece of shit brother."

She was about to exit his tent, but a strong hand grabbed a hold of her arm. The grip was tight, and instantly brought back memories of her ex. Without thinking, her hand flew across his face. "Don't touch me."

Nicole stormed out. She was pissed beyond belief. She marched past Lori, who tried to stop her, and into the RV. What she saw inside, calmed her down. Just a bit. Cheyanne sat with a tired Jim. Her smile brought one to his as they talked.

They seemed intimate in their conversation. Nicole backed out of the RV and gazed over to Andrea. Nicole realized that she still hadn't said goodbye. She was still pissed, but her demeanor changed to timid as she walked over to the grieving woman.

"Is it okay if I say goodbye?" Nicole asked as she knelt down. Andrea nodded. "Amy was a sweet girl. She didn't deserve this."

"No. She didn't," Andrea whispered as she stroked Amy's bloodied hair.

"I wish I could've done something to help her." Nicole picked at her dirty nails.

Andrea glanced over to her, "If I would've been fast enough, I could've saved her."

"Andrea, you can't think like that. This wasn't your fault."

Andrea stayed silent.

"Amy was a good friend. She'll always be in my heart." Nicole placed her hand on the woman's shoulder as she stood up.

"Nicole," Andrea quickly said, "thank you."

Nicole nodded and turned to walk toward Lori. She sat down and glared as Daryl reappeared. Sometimes, that man made her skin boil.

An hour had passed. Rick and Shane allowed Daryl to have his pickaxe back. Cheyanne had come out of the RV and was sitting beside her mother.

Daryl's pickaxe met the head of the dead, one after the other. Nicole didn't really pay attention to what he was doing. To be honest, she didn't think she cared. She cared to the extent of his life -- as a promise to her dead friend -- but past that, she did not think she would care.

Nicole hated that she was bound to him. She hated that he was one of her priorities. Sure, she really only did truly care about her little girl. But she didn't give a crap about herself. She'd risk getting eaten by the monsters if it meant saving Cheyanne.

A sudden tap on her knee startled her. Cheyanne looked up to her mother with watery eyes and pointed toward the RV. She clambered into her mother's lap and began sobbing.

There was Amy. She sat up, holding onto her sister's hair. Nicole wanted to cry as when she realized that they -- the monsters -- were no longer themselves. She hoped that somewhere, deep, deep down, the person they were was still there. At that moment as she watched Amy try to take a bite from her sister, she realized that there was no way back from this. She realized that this was the world's shitty, new reality.

hey y'all! i know, i'm cutting it close today lol. i've been busy. anyways, i have a little psa for y'all. i don't know if y'all watch the flash or not, but recently there's been a spout of racism sent toward one of the main characters because the star of the show, grant gustin, posted something supporting lgbtq rights. how it got around to race, i don't know and i don't really care. i just wanted to say that it shouldn't matter what color an actors skin is or who the hell their love interest is. candice patton aka iris west is an amazing actress and like grant stated, she is barry's endgame. now, personally, i don't ship westallen all that much, but that doesn't mean that i spew hatred at the actor/actress. now, it has nothing to do with candice's skin color

i couldn't care less seeing as how i have black cousins whom i love very, very dearly. my point is coming, i promise. if you didn't know, in the flash comic books, iris west is a white character and that's what lead to the racism against candice. i'm saying right now, it's total and utter bullshit. candice patton is black and she is beautiful. she is iris west, regardless of whatever a freaking comic book says. it is 2019 people. it shouldn't matter if a black actress plays a white character. hell, we're about to gain a black ariel and i'm excited. ariel was my childhood and i related a lot, seeing as how she is the only redheaded disney princess other than merida. but i don't care, i'm excited to see whatever the remake brings. if the color of a fictional character bothers you, then i'm so sorry that you're –no offense– simple minded. it's 2019. there are more religions, and races and sexualities and genders than ever before and none of those factors should matter. at all.

now, i really don't want to start trouble. but I don't want to get comments going "yOu OnLy MaKe WhItE oCs! WhY dO yOu CaRe?!" i haven't written a main character poc yet because i don't want offend anyone because i am the whitest person possible. redhair, blue eyes, pale ass skin, everything. but i will have you know that in the near future after i am going to write more ocs that are pocs. i'm still gaining confidence in my writing and for right now, i'm staying in my comfort zone until I feel comfortable enough with myself to expand my oc world. i'm sorry if this offend anyone, it's not my intention. anyway, that's it. thanks for coming to my ted talk.

i love you all. be nice, say hi to a stranger, love one another. have a great rest of your day/night. stay safe.

peaceee -erin


	20. 18

The last body was placed into the back of Daryl's truck. Nicole's heart ached when she saw how many people they'd lost. Daryl and Nicole's eyes locked together for half a second before he started making his way up the hill to their graveyard.

Cheyanne grabbed Nicole's hand as the remained of the camp began trekking up the hill. It was silent. No one talked, no one cried, no one had emotion. They were all blank faces as they climbed up the hill to seal their friends' fates. To seal them in a dirt-covered tomb. To send them away with one last wish of safe passage to wherever they may go.

When the group reached the top, Daryl was lecturing about burning and burying the bodies. Then he started off on another fit about rules. Nicole rolled her eyes at the man. Cheyanne glanced at the pile of people and buried her face into her mother's left leg.

"There are no rules," Rick stated.

"Well, that's a problem," Lori spoke up, "We haven't had one minute to hold onto anything of our old selves. We need time to mourn and we need to bury our dead. That's what people do."

Nicole nodded as Lori turned back around. Nicole placed a gentle hand onto Lori's arm. Lori gazed up to her best friend with teary eyes. She wanted to be safe. She wanted her friends alive and safe. The two women met in a hug. They wanted the same things.

One by one, their deceased members were lowered and buried in the ground. Every few people, one of the living would say something in a eulogy. When it came Donovan's turn, Nicole cringed. Rick and Shane lowered him into his grave gently.

"Would anyone like to say something for Donovan?" Rick asked. His eyes were obviously tired. He was so, so tired. Of everything. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. But he held it all together with a gentle smile.

"I will," Cheyanne suddenly piped up. Everyone looked down to the little girl. She started to dig in her jean pocket for a melted bitesize Three Musketeer. "Donovan was very nice to me. He always said he risked his life when he stole candy from his sister." Chey's brown eyes watered as she gazed down to the little chocolate. "He always said he'd find something to give me. He always tried to make me smile and laugh -- said I didn't do that enough," she half laughed. "He always promised me that one day he'd get the biggest candy bar he could find, just so he could put a smile on my face."

Nicole crouched down, placing a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder. Cheyanne was on the verge of tears. "I told him that I would split it with him," she sniffled. "We made each other a promise and since I can't so that now, I'm gonna give you this." She stepped forward and laid the melted candy on his chest. "I promised I'd share it. You can never break a promise." Chey turned around and said, "Rest in Peace, Donovan."

Cheyanne walked up to her mother, who engulfed her in a hug. Chey's legs wrapped around Nicole's waist as she stood up. Nicole had tears in her eyes. Rick and Shane each sighed and started to throw dirt on his body.

When the final body, Amy's body, got pulled out, everyone tensed as Andrea insisted she does it herself. She was trying so hard and Dale wanted to do nothing but help her. "I can do it," she cried as she finally got her sister close to the hole. Dale gently lifted her feet and lowered her into the grave. Dale helped her out and Andrea began piling dirt on as she bawled. This broke Nicole's heart.

Everyone started to make their way back toward camp. Nicole tightly held her daughter on her side; even though, Cheyanne was getting heavy. She couldn't put her down. Not right now. Not in this desperate time of comfort. Nicole noticed Daryl's absence from the group of people, so she assumed he'd be staying behind to bring the truck back.

"Nicole!" Carl's voice called out as he ran up beside her. "Can I walk with you?" Nicole smiled and nodded. She pulled the young boy into her side as they walked. She loved these kids.

When they reached camp, everyone sat around the dead fire. Carl and Cheyanne sat in the dirt beside each other. Nicole crouched down and grabbed a small twig. She began breaking it into the shape of an accordion.

Nicole saw Chey and Carl start to play tic-tac-toe in the dirt. Carl was trying to cheer Chey up and he managed to do it. Her little speech, about how she didn't smile much, hit him hard. He realized he spent too much time frolicking with Sophia and to little time with his close, close friend. He let his little crush on Sophia get to him and he ignored the one other person that made him happy.

Daryl walked by with his shotgun. He met eyes with Nicole. He saw how exhausted she was. He knew that she hadn't slept since they got back from the city. He knew that all of this death and action was taking a toll on her. He knew that none of it was helping her small concussion.

Lori walked over, grazing her hand across her tired friends back before she sat down. She pulled a small stick from the fire and began to sharpen it with her knife. Nicole shut her tired eyes. She didn't even notice as Shane, Rick, and Dale walked over. When Shane spoke up, it startled her. Let's just say she fell backward.

"I've been, uh--" Shane began, leaning his forward on his shotgun. "I've been thinking about Rick's plan. Now look, there are no-- there are no guarantees either way. I'll be the first one to admit that."

Nicole gazed up to Shane. "I've known this man a long time. I trust his instincts," Shane said as he looked around the fireplace. "I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together." Shane's eyes met Nicole's with a slight nod. "So those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning."

The sun was setting and everyone retreated to their tents to let this proposal stew. Nicole knew her decision. She was going to stick by her friends'. Glenn and Cheyanne walked to their tent. Nicole, however, needed to clear something with Daryl.

Night fast approached and Dale was on watch. Nicole could hear Jim's dying coughs in the RV. They were almost as loud as the cicadas and crickets that surrounded them. Nikki made her way to the hillbilly's tent. She stood outside his tent and sighed. "Daryl?" her soft voice called.

Daryl opened up his tent and stepped out. "What is it, Nik?" he sounded slightly concerned.

"I wanted to try and convince you to come with us to the CDC since I know you're not planning on coming--"

"I'm going,"

"I need you to come. You may get on my nerves, but I need you to come. Chey loves you and--"

"I'm going,"

"I need you to know where you are so I don't have to worry about you as much and so I can keep my promise to Jess,"

"I'm going," Daryl said slightly louder than the last two times.

"So I need you -- wait, you're going? Why didn't you say something instead of letting me trail off?" Nicole asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Woman, I did. Twice before you heard me but you were to busy runnin' your mouth." Daryl gave her a smirk.

"Oh," she whispered, "Why'd you decide to some before I came to 'convince' you?"

Daryl didn't say anything; he just nibbled on his thumbnail while looking at the blonde girl's face. "Oh," she uttered as she picked her nails. "Okay, well, um, I'm gonna go to sleep," Nicole said as she started to turn away from him.

"Nik, wait," he spoke out.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. For that shit I said earlier," he admitted.

Nicole didn't say anything. She gave him a gentle nod before walking back to her tent.

Morning came quicker than Nicole expected. Glenn wasn't in the tent and his gear was packed neatly for once. Nicole glanced down the Cheyanne, who's rash had dimmed slightly. She shimmied out of the sleeping bag and stood up. Nicole grabbed her pack and dug through to the bottom on it, where she found spare clothes. She had forgotten about them if she was being honest.

Nicole placed her hands at the bottom of her bloody tank-top and pulled it off. She shimmied out of her jeans after she pushed off her shoes. Nicole grabbed the green t-shirt at the bottom of her bag and pulled it on. She also pulled on a clean pair of black jeans.

Nicole slipped on her shoes and woke up her daughter. She gave her some medicine and gave her clothes to get dressed with. Nicole began rolling up their sleeping bag and clipped it onto her bag. She pulled on the straps and grabbed her bat. The two walked out.

Nicole was almost shocked when she saw that a majority of the tents were taken down. People were piling their stuff into vehicles. Nicole walked over to Daryl's truck. She noticed how his bag and tent were already inside of the trunk. Nicole tossed her bag into it as well.

She made her way over to Carol, who was helping Sophia get ready. The two met with a smile. "Moring, Carol."

"Good morning, Nikki," Carol replied.

"You ready for this daunting trip?" Nicole inquired as she bent down to Carol's level. Carol just laughed and said no. The two made some small talk before they each noticed Rick and Shane walking to the front of everyone. Other's did as well and began to huddle around the vehicles that were ready to leave. Nicole and Cheyanne walked over to Daryl's truck.

"Everyone listen up," Shane called out, "Those of you with CB's, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay?" Nicole leaned against the dainty thing behind them. "Now you got a problem, don't have a CB, can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?"

Nicole felt sweat begin to drip down her face. She quickly wiped it away as Morales spoke up, "We're, uh, we're not going."

"We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people," Miranda said with a quiver in her voice.

"You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back," Shane tried to convince them.

"We'll take the chance. I gotta do what's best for my family," Morales stated.

"You sure?" Rick asked.

"We talked about it. We're sure," Morales said. Rick and Shane shared a look before bending down and pulling out a gun with ammo. They walked up to Morales and offered it to him.

Nicole saw Daryl biting at his nail. He started when they mentioned leaving. Nicole thought it was a dumb idea. She respected it, but it was a dumb idea. She understood wanting to find their family. She went through literal hell trying to find hers and ended up with no avail.

When Shane said that the box of ammo was half full, Daryl scoffed. Nicole got off the truck and made her way over to the family. After Lori kissed the childrens' forehead and hugged Miranda, Eliza gave Sophia her doll. Nicole took her turn giving Miranda a hug before pulling Louis and Eliza into a group one. "You take care of them, okay, little man?" Nicole chuckled as she pulled away.

Louis nodded as Nicole stood up. Cheyanne made sure to give her friends a hug. "We'll see each other again one day," she told them.

"How can you be so sure?" Eliza asked.

"I promise," Chey said with a smile. The three broke down and hugged each other again. Everyone said goodbye to them and they retreated to their car.

"Let's go. Let's move out," Shane called out. Everyone went to their designated vehicles. Jacqui, Jim, Glenn, Dale and Andrea in the RV, The Grimes and Peletiers in the Cherokee, T in the van, Shane in his Jeep, and Daryl, Nicole and Cheyanne in the truck.

Daryl and Nicole sat in silence as they drove. Her arm was out the window as she enjoyed to cool breeze that wisped past. Cheyanne attempted to draw in her book. It was peaceful. Nicole enjoyed this -- sitting in comfortable silence.

The group drove for about forty-five minutes before they had to stop. Nicole jumped out of the truck with her bat. Cheyanne and Daryl followed right behind her. "What happened?"

"Dale thinks the radiator hose blew out," Glenn told her.

"Fantastic," she said, placing the bat onto her shoulder. Dale opened up the front of the RV. Steam seeped out of it.

"I told you we'd never get far on that hose," Dale lectured Rick. "I said I needed the one from the cube van."

"Can't you just jury rig it?" Nicole asked as she watched the forest nervously.

"That's all it's been so far. More duct tape than hose," Dale paused. Daryl walked up beside Nicole nudging her back slightly to tell her that he was there. "And I'm out of duct tape."

Nicole sighed and nervously shifted her weight back and forth. "I see something up ahead," Shane announced. "A gas station if we're lucky."

Nicole scoffed under her breath, "There's no such thing."

Jacqui came running out of the RV, "Y'all, Jim. It's bad. I don't think he can take anymore."

Nicole lowered her bat and stared at the ground. She was so tired of losing people. "Hey, Rick, you wanna hold down the fort? I'll drive ahead, see what I can bring back."

T-Dog said he'd go too. "Y'all keep your eyes open. We'll be right back."

"You two better," Nicole called out as they pulled themselves into Shane's Jeep. T gave her a thumbs up before they drove off. Nicole shook her head, before walking back to Daryl's truck. Cheyanne was sitting on the passenger side, drawing on her notebook.

Nikki wished she could read her daughter's mind. She was so complex, but then again, she had Nicole as a mother. Nicole thought about how messed up this world would make her. She questioned the things that they would have to do to survive. Nicole didn't want her innocent little girl to experience anymore horror than she already had.

"What're you drawing?" Nicole asked as she bent down in front of the young girl. Chey held up a finger and scribbled down a few more lines.

"I drew the qu--" Chey stumbled, "Quarry." She turned the sketchbook around. "I drew all of our friends who died there and the monsters that did it."

"Why'd you draw the monsters?"

"Everyone deserves a place to be happy," Chey said, "They weren't always like that. They were people. They need a place where they don't hurt anymore -- where that virus can't hurt them anymore. They'd want to be in our heaven the way they were when they died."

Nicole admired the optimism in the little girl. She was so hopeful and so good. That added to the already long list of what Nicole loved about her daughter.

Shane and T-Dog came back with some supplies, not a lot, but it was something. Dale took the scrounged duct tape and jury-rigged the RV's hose quickly.

Rick called for a meeting and told the group that Jim wanted to be left here. That he said he couldn't take any more traveling. "It's what he says he wants," Rick told them.

"And he's lucid?" Carol questioned.

"He seems to be," Rick replied as he took off his hat and rubbed the sweat from his face. "I would say yes."

"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and I got shut down, y'all misunderstood," Dale spoke up. "I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have the answer."

Nicole sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "We just leave him here? We take off? Man, I'm not sure I could live with that."

Nicole thoughts trailed back to Jess and how Daryl and she left him to end it all. She glanced over to Daryl, who had the same hesitant look on his face as she did. He was thinking about his uncle too.

"It's not your call, either one of you," Lori said.

Rick sighed, before motioning Shane inside. Nicole picked at her nails as she thought about what they were doing. Rick and Shane pulled Jim from the RV and brought him over to a tree.

The group slowly made their way over to Jim, who cracked a joke to Shane. Shane didn't want this to happen so he tried to convince his friend otherwise. "It's good. This breeze feels nice."

Shane backed away and Jacqui made her way over to him. She kissed his cheek after saying something. She then ran back to the RV with tears running down her face. Rick tried to offer a gun to him, but he shot him down.

Dale went up and said his goodbye. Cheyanne and Nicole made their way up. Chey bent down and hugged the man. "Hey, sweet pea."

"I hope you enjoy heaven, Mr. Jim," she whispered. Her lip quivered as tears threatened to fall.

"My front pocket," he uttered, "keep it."

Cheyanne's nimble fingers went into his dainty pocket and pulled out a wedding ring. "Don't you want to keep this?" Nicole asked.

"I want her to have it," Jim whispered, "a gift to remember me by."

"Okay," Nicole whispered, "I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"It's okay," Jim murmured.

Nicole and Cheyanne both stood up and turned to walk away. Everyone else started to walk away with them. Tears streamed down their faces as they reached their cars. Everyone got in and one by one they started up. Nicole watched as Cheyanne waved at the dying man as they drove away.

They reached their destination. Nicole frantically searched for signs of life over the sea of dead bodies. She grabbed her bat and held it high. Daryl placed a hand at her back for a moment. "Stay close to me."

Nicole nodded as the group started going forward. "Chey, put your shirt over your nose and mouth," she whispered to the little girl and did the same. "Carl, Sophia, you too."

They did. The children clung to their mother's. Nicole had a bad feeling stirring in her core. If the bodies weren't enough, she wondered what would be for the group to turn around. Daryl stuck by Nicole's side as they group weaved through the bodies.

"Keep it together, c'mon." Shane waved the group to keep closer.

"Almost there, baby girl. Almost there," Nicole whispered to Cheyanne. Cheyanne nodded. She was too scared to say a word.

Rick and Shane reached the door. They tried to get it open, and when they couldn't Shane made a desperate attempt at pounding on it.

"There's nobody here," T-Dog spoke up.

Nicole held her child close; Daryl stood at her side. "Then why are these shutters down?" Rick questioned. Nicole didn't argue that he had a point.

"Walkers!" Daryl announced the monsters' presence. Cheyanne buried her face into her mother's legs. Daryl shot the monster with an arrow. "You led us into a graveyard!"

"He made a call," Dale said.

"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl stormed forward but got cut off by Shane pushing him back.

"Just shut up. Do you hear me? Shut up." Shane pushed him back. "Shut up." He marched back over to his friend, "Rick, this is a dead end."

"Where we gonna go?" Carol cried.

"Anywhere but here," Nicole spoke. Daryl returned to her side, watching as a couple of walkers go into view. "Rick, we can't be here!"

"She's right. We can't be this close to the city after dark," Lori said as she cradled her son.

"Fort Benning, Rick. Still an option," Shane suggested.

"On what? No food, no fuel. That's a hundred miles," Andrea told him.

"125, I checked the map," Glenn corrected.

"Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight, now," Lori begged.

"We'll think of something," Rick said, trying to calm his wife down. Shane started to usher people back to their cars.

"All right, everybody back to the cars," he commanded. Daryl grabbed Nicole's arm gently and tried to pull her along.

"The camera -- it moved," Rick said.

"Rick," Nicole began but Dale cut her off.

"You imagined it."

"It moved," Rick insisted.

"Rick, it is dead, man." Shane tried to convince his partner. "It's an automated device, man. It's gears. They're just winding down. Now come on."

Shane started yelling at Rick that this place was dead. "Rick, please! Nobody's here!" Nicole yelled to her friend. She pulled out her .9mm and aimed out toward the incoming walkers.

Rick didn't listen. He banged on the doors. "I know you're in there. I know you can hear me."

"Get back to the cars now!"

"Please, we're desperate. Please help us. We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left," Rick yelled. Lori ran in front of him to try to convince her husband. "We have nowhere else to go!"

Nicole was scared. She would admit that she was scared. More and more walkers piled into the courtyard, being drawn by the loud noises and yelling that the group was making.

"If you don't let us in, you're killing us! You're killing us!" Rick yelled, hysterically. Shane ran forward, grabbing his partner and pulled him. Rick continued to yell.

That's when a blinding light flooded their eyes. Rick was right.

hey guys! how was your day? good, i hope. i worked all day on 4 hours of sleep and a monster. i've got to stop depriving myself of sleep lol i'm gonna go to sleep (it's 11pm, and it's so early for me 'cause I've been going to sleep at like 3am. That's so bad :). i'm so tired and I gotta wake up and go back to school shopping with a friend tomorrow. (i've had way to much social interaction there past few days; i'm so socially exhausted) it's okay though. i haven't seen her all summer so i'm excited :) welp, i guess that's it. if you feel like it, drop a comment and a vote. it means a lot. i hope you have a great rest of your day/night and a great weekend. sleep and eat well, tell your parents you love them, say hi to a stranger. remember to be safe and be nice to one another. i love you all. peaceeeee -erin


	21. 19

Nicole's heart was beating fast. The sense of hope and joy filled her when she realized they were safe. That they would all be safe. Her body tensed as she watched the monsters start getting to get to close for comfort.

"C'mon, let's get inside!" Shane yelled, waving in the group. His shotgun sat at his side, but his finger was on the trigger.

Everyone flooded inside. Nicole held her bat high, ready to start swinging if necessary. She saw Daryl to her left, warily aiming the gun toward the door. "Close the door. Watch for walkers," Dale told him.

"Hello?" Rick called out. The building echoed. Everyone was on edge. Then the sound of a gun cocked. Nicole whipped out her gun, aiming it toward the sound. Cheyanne had her head buried in her mother's side; Daryl slowly walked up beside her.

"Anybody infected?" A male voice shouted from the shadows.

"One of our group was. He didn't make it," Rick told him the truth.

The man showed himself. He held an assault rifle. The sight alone made Nicole tense and try to shield her little girl. "Why are you here? What do you want?" The man asked.

"A chance," Rick said.

"That's asking an awful lot these days,"

"I know."

The man glanced around the ragtag group of survivors. He took note at the diversity -- age, race, etc. It had been so long since he had even talked to another human being. "You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission," He told them.

Nicole took a quivered breath as she lowered her gun slowly. "We can do that," Rick said.

The man completely lowered his weapon and replied, "If you've got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed."

"Be right back," Daryl said as he nudged Nicole. Rick, Shane, Glenn, and Daryl all ran out to the cars to grab the bags they all had. Dale and T-Dog waited at the doors for them.

"Are we safe, mama?" Nicole heard Cheyanne ask from below. Nicole didn't say anything. She just nodded and waited in an antsy manner for the men to get back.

The group of four all ran back inside and Dale and T shut the doors. Daryl handed Nicole her backpack. She swung it on as the doctor man swiped a card and told someone to seal the entrance and cut the power.

Nicole watched as the shutters closed. She liked the security but she didn't like the idea of being locked inside of this place. If something was to happen, it would be horrible to get out of.

Rick introduced himself and the man returned it. "Dr. Edwin Jenner."

"Let's head down," Dr. Jenner said.

Rick began introducing everyone to him. The Doctor met the tired eyes of each survivor as Rick did so. The reached an elevator and piled in. Nicole was all but pressed against the wall beside Daryl, who held his shotgun close to her face.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Daryl asked as he observed the man. Nicole knew that he didn't really trust him. Hell, she didn't either, but she took the consideration that he let them in.

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself," Dr. Jenner replied. He glanced around the group. He noticed the timid and uncertainty plastered on their faces. "But you look harmless enough," He said before looking down to Carl. "Except you. I'll have to keep my eye on you."

Carl nervously looked over to Cheyanne. She wanted to laugh at his face.

The elevator dinged and everyone flooded out. They followed the doctor, passing rooms upon rooms. Nicole noticed the thickness of the air they were breathing. She realized that they were underground.

"Are we underground?" Carol asked, grabbing Sophia's hand.

"Are you claustrophobic?" Jenner asked.

"A little," Carol meekly replied.

"Try not to think about it," he told her. Nicole scoffed. That's just gonna make her think about it more. Nicole knew that the comparison in her head was an exaggeration but telling Carol to not think about her claustrophobia was like telling a person with cancer to stop dying.

The group reached a big room and Jenner spoke up, "Vi, bring up the lights in the big room." A ring of lights turned on. Nicole turned to Daryl with a curious look. He shrugged and nudged her to keep going. "Welcome to Zone 5."

"Where is everybody?" Rick asked as he walked toward the Doctor. "The other doctors, the staff?"

"I'm it. It's just me here," Jenner said.

"Jesus Christ," Nicole murmured under her breath.

"What about the person you were speaking with? Vi?" Lori asked.

"Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them welcome,"

"Hello, guests. Welcome."

Nicole let out a quiet sigh and raked her hand through her hair. "I'm all that's left. I'm sorry," Jenner apologized.

Jenner started to walk away. "Let's get these blood tests done," he called out as he continued to walk. The group glanced to each other before nervously following the lone man.

Dr. Jenner set supplies on a table and slipped on some gloves. The group walked over. "Who's going first?"

Rick offered to go. Then one by one everyone had done it but Nicole, Cheyanne, and Andrea. Nicole walked over and sat down after Daryl got up. He put his hand on her shoulder as he moved around her to stand beside the wall.

Jenner prepped a new needle. Nicole sighed as she laid her left arm down in front of him. He saw the small needle scars in on the crook of her arm. He also noticed the faded scar that ran up her forearm. He felt bad for her as he put the needle into her arm. She cringed as she watched the blood gush into the small tube. When it was full, he uttered out a sorry to the girl.

Nicole knew he saw them -- the scars. She hated them every day. She wished that they would disappear. With a nod, Nicole shakily stood up. "You good, Nikki?" Glenn asked from the wall. He was ready to come and help his friend.

"I'm fine, peach," she replied as Cheyanne sat down. Chey shook with fear. "You got this," Nicole soothed.

"I know. I just hate needles," Chey whispered. She felt a pinch in her arm and a tear threatened to come out.

"All done," Jenner said as he pulled the needle from the girl's arm. Nicole and Cheyanne made their way back over to the wall and stood beside Daryl. Andrea then sat down and waited for the man to get it over with.

Once it was in, she spoke her mind. "What's the point? If we were infected we would all be running a fever."

Nicole sighed, leaning her head back on the wall. "I've already broken every rule in the book letting you in here. Let me at least be thorough."

Daryl and Nikki's eyes met. Neither knew how they truly felt about this. Nicole heard the syringe click and she returned her attention to Andrea. Andrea stood up and a wave of dizziness hit her. "You okay?" Jenner asked.

"She hasn't eaten in days. None of us have," Jacqui told him.

Jenner cocked his head slightly. "I think I can fix that," he announced. Everyone perked up. Jenner gathered up the blood-filled test tubes. "Follow me."

Nicole glanced down her little girl. She had a huge grin on her face. Cheyanne was excited about getting something to eat. "C'mon," Nicole ushered the little girl to follow the group.

Daryl watched as Nicole nudged her daughter. She was so gentle with her. He noticed the small things she did. The way she ruffled Cheyanne's hair when she walked up behind her. The way Nicole played with it to calm both of them down. He noticed how Nicole almost always had a hand on Cheyanne's body; it was like she was scared someone would take her away.

Daryl walked beside Nicole. Jenner showed them to the kitchen. "You all help yourselves," Jenner said as he walked away to the lab with the samples.

With permission, everyone dug out some food and began cooking it. Nicole searched the cupboards. She opened up one and smirked in awe. "Hey guys," She announced, before grabbing a bottle of wine. "Lookie here." She showed the rest of them. Everyone cheered and some came to get their own bottle.

Everyone sat down at the table and began devouring their food. The adults started to drink and get tipsy. Nicole hadn't been drunk for nine years. She hadn't drunk since her twenty-first birthday -- a life-changing night. After Nicole sobered up and moved next door to the Grimes', she had had a couple of beers every now and then. But it was never enough to get her drunk off the wagon.

Nicole wanted to get shitfaced. After all the hell that she had experienced, she wanted to forget. Even if the consequences would hurt massively. One glass after another she swallowed the bitter taste. Nicole didn't notice Jenner walk back in and sit down.

Dale started to refill peoples glasses. "Ya know, in Italy, children have a little bit of wine with dinner," Dale told Lori.

"And in France," Nicole chimed in.

"Well, when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then," Lori said before drinking some wine.

"What's it gonna hurt, Lori?" Nicole quirked a brow to her best friend. Lori shrugged and lifted her hand from Carl's cup. Dale poured some in.

"Nicole?" he gestured to Cheyanne. Nicole looked down at her. She nodded vigorously. Nicole smirked and gave Dale a nod. He poured some into Chey's cup.

"Together?" Carl asked, looking to his friend.

Chey nodded, "Together."

The two took a sip from the glass. Carl detested the bitter taste while Chey downed it all in one go. Everyone laughed at the two's opposing reactions. "Atta girl," Nikki laughed, kissing the top of her daughter's head.

Nicole glanced up. Her eyes met Daryl's brooding ones. She shot down the eye contact and looked away from him. "Maybe, you should stick to the soda pop there bud," Shane told Carl.

"Not you, Glenn," Daryl called him out. Nicole glanced over to her Korean friend, who was shocked by Daryl's call. Daryl came around and filled up Nicole's cup. "Keep drinking, little man. I wanna see how red your face can get," He teased.

Nicole laughed and gently touched Daryl's arm in thanks. Nicole took a drink of the alcohol as Rick tapped on his glass with a knife. He stood up and started to talk, "It seems to me that we haven't thanked out host properly."

"He is more than just our host," T-Dog slurred as he raised his glass of wine.

"Hear hear!" the group cheered.

"Here's to you, Doc. Booyah!" Daryl cheered, raising his entire bottle up. Everyone cheered after Daryl and clinked glasses.

Everything was perfect. People laughing and cheering. They felt safe and at peace. That, of course, all came to an end when Shane had to be a Debbie Downer.

"So when are you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, Doc?" Shane asked. The room went silent.

"Really, Shane? You have to do this right now?" Nicole snapped out to the man. Shane's dark brown eyes met hers. He ignored her and continued.

"All the -- all the other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened, where are they?" he asked.

"We're celebrating, Shane," Rick tried to shoot him down. "Don't do this now."

Nicole scoffed and took another drink of wine. Of course, Shane would have to ruin this moment. "Whoa, wait a second. This is why we're here, right? This was your move -- supposed to find all of the answers. Instead we-- we found him," Shane said as he pointed to Dr. Jenner. "Found one man. Why?"

Nicole was about to say something, but Dr. Jenner started to talk. "Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just left, went off to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted."

"Every last one?" Shane didn't sound convinced.

"No, many couldn't face walking out the door. They," Jenner paused, "opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time."

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Dr. Jenner," Cheyanne piped up. He glanced over to the little girl, giving her a subtle nod.

"You didn't leave. Why?" Andrea asked.

Jenner sighed. "I just kept working, hoping to do some good."

Glenn slowly walked over in front of Shane, "You are such a buzzkill, man."

Glenn couldn't have been more right. The lively atmosphere got shut down. No one talked. It was just the sound of people's eating utensils scraping off the remnants of food. Nicole finished her glass of wine and her food. She got up and walked over to the cupboard. She pulled out another bottle, popping it and began drinking from the top.

When everyone was finished, Dr. Jenner stood up. "I'll show you to your rooms."

The group went over and grabbed hold of their things and followed the man. "Most of the facility is powered down including housing, so you'll have to make do here," Jenner explained. "Couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you like."

Nicole and Daryl shared a glance as they walked down the hallway. "There's a rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy. Just don't plug in the video games, okay? Or anything that draws power. Same applies-- if you shower, go easy on the hot water," he finished his speech and walked away.

Glenn turned around with a gigantic smile on his face, "Hot water?"

"That's what the man said," T-Dog grinned before everyone started to separate into different rooms.

Nicole and Cheyanne went into a room and Daryl went into the room across it. Nicole sent him a smile, before entering the room. Nicole grinned at the sight of a couch. She never thought she'd sleep on one again. "Chey, go take your shower, honey. Mama's gonna lay here a bit."

The little girl chirped happily and grabbed her spare clothes. She then made a mad dash into the bathroom. Nicole collapsed on the soft cushions of the couch. She laughed and turned to lay on her back. She put her bottle to her lips and took a few chugs.

Nicole almost fell asleep when Chey wandered out. Nikki jumped up and grabbed her clothes. She went into the bathroom and eagerly stripped. She turned on the water and waited for it to warm. When it did, she stepped inside. A grin crossed her face as the warm water sprayed down her frame. She savored the wonderful feeling.

Nicole watched at the layers of dirt and blood dripped off of her when she started to wash with soap. She loved the feeling of being clean. When she tried to wash her back, she remembered how big of a pain that was. It was in that moment when her drunken thoughts wandered to wanting someone in the shower with her. At that moment, she wanted someone to take her and pin her against the wall. At that moment, she didn't want to be alone. She wanted someone. For a second, she couldn't think of who. Then it hit her like a truck.

Nicole blushed at the thought of being in the same small vicinity as her redneck friend. She couldn't help but think about the things he could do to her in the dark. Nicole tried to shake those thoughts away as she scrubbed her hair. When she finished, she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. She dried herself off and pulled on half of her clean set of clothes -- a white t-shirt and undergarments. She'd wait until morning to put on her jeans.

She walked out of the bathroom with her belongings. She saw the steam follow her out. Nicole didn't see Cheyanne in the room. She sighed and dropped her backpack onto the ground. Nicole knelt down and then dumped out the things inside of it.

She didn't realize what she had inside of there. There were some pads and some hair ties. There were a few pictures of her and her family at the bottom. There was even a copy of Lord of the Flies in there. Nicole sighed, grabbed a hair tie, and neatly stuffed her things back in there. She also made sure to fold her dirty clothes and put them inside. Nicole grabbed her pocket knife and walked over to the small closet. She pulled out three pillows and blankets. Nicole made her way back over to the couch and set up a makeshift bed for Cheyanne there. She then laid down a blanket on the ground and put two pillows on top of it. She dropped the last folded blanket at the bottom.

Nicole shoved her knife under the bottom pillow. When she was satisfied with her work, Nicole grabbed her bottle of wine and made her way to the Rec room, where she assumed Cheyanne was.

When she walked in, she saw Carl and Sophia playing a game of checkers. Chey making little braids in Sophia's short hair. It was cute. "Hey, munchkin," Nikki slurred and to a whisk from her bottle.

"Hey, mama," Chey replied, nonchalantly.

Nicole made her way over to the couch and plopped down beside her daughter. "Hi Carol," she greeted the older woman.

Carol giggled, "Hi Nikki."

Chey tied a little rubber band around one of the braids in Sophia's hair. She turned to her mom. "Mama, can I braid your hair?"

Nicole chuckled and nodded. She slid down next to Sophia and Cheyanne clambered over and started braiding her mother's hair. The little girl teemed with joy. She missed this sense of normalcy.

"Sophia," Nicole whispered. Sophia looked over to the older woman. "You can get a double jump if you move that one," Nicole whispered again, pointing to one of her black chips.

"Not fair, Nikki!" Carl complained.

"Life's not fair, sport," Nicole challenged. Carl groaned when Sophia did the move. Nicole fist-bumped the little girl.

"Mama, can I see your hair tie?" Chey asked.

Nicole nodded and slipped off the tie and handed it to her daughter. Chey quickly tied it and moved it to the left side. "Thanks, sweetheart," she said.

"Hey, mom," Sophia piped up and turned around to her mother. Nicole began maneuvering herself back up onto the couch. "Can Chey spend the night with us?"

Carol looked shocked and then grinned. Sophia never asked that before. "Well, I mean if it's all right with Nicole."

Nicole fixed her gaze on Cheyanne, who had pleading eyes. "All right, fine," she gave in. "But, if you give Mrs. Carol any trouble, I give her permission to send to our room."

The two girls squealed to each other.

It got quiet. Nicole got up and grabbed a book that piqued her interest. It was a book called Tomorrow, When the War Began. Nicole started reading it as she drank. Lori came in with a huge grin on her face, "Any good books?"

"Definitely." Nicole waved the book up. She was actually pretty invested in it.

"It's enough to keep us busy for years," Carol said to Lori. "All right, c'mon kids. Bedtime." The group of children got up and Nicole followed in suit.

"Baby, go say your prayers. I'm gonna browse a bit," Lori told her son.

"I'll be back in a second, Lori. I gotta pee," Nicole said, placing her book on the couch. She took a swig of her bottle and made her way out of the Rec room. Nicole stumbled into her room's bathroom and did her business. After she finished, she finished drinking the last bit of her alcohol and made her way back to her best friend and her book.

Nicole stumbled as she went back down the hall. At that moment, she realized she was absolutely wasted. Nicole heard a door slam but didn't think much of it. She heard muffled yelling from afar and made her way to it. The rec room door was closed.

"Get off of me!" Nicole heard Lori plead. Nicole immediately grabbed the door handle and opened it. She saw her best friend pinned against the pool table by Shane. Without thinking, Nicole grabbed him by his hair and yanked. When he was off, she swung and her fist landed right on his left eye.

Nicole backed up, shielding Lori. "I suggest that you walk away before you end up with other things bruised," Nicole threatened. Shane looked stunned by what he had just done. He stood there for a second, watching Nicole protect Lori. He turned around and stormed out.

Within an instant, Nicole turned around and embraced Lori into a hug. Lori sobbed into her best friend's shoulder. Neither wanted to think about what would have happened if Nicole hadn't been there.

_i just wanted to say thank you for reading this story when there are so many better ones out there. so many more people have better storys out there and yet you guys choose to read mine. so, thank you. to each and every one of you for supporting this book and reading it. it means a lot :) i love you all. remember to be safe and don't do drugs. kiss you parents goodnight and tell them you love them. i hope that y'all have an amazing rest of your day/night and a great week. i shall see you guys on friday! peaceeeeeee -erin_


	22. 20*

The silence scared Nicole because it left her alone with her thoughts. It left her alone with the truth. After walking Lori back to her room and making sure she was all right, Nicole wandered back to the Rec room. She saw the pool table where that assault almost took place. The room was silent and dark. There were small lights that illuminated from the edges of the bookshelves. But other than that, it was darkness.

Nicole's knees quivered as she entered the room. Horrible memories flooded her with tears. She remembered his hands groping her. She remembered how his huge hand blocked her mouth as he forced himself into her. She remembered the unexplainable pain she experienced as her bareback scraped across the rough brick. She remembered her pleas and cries. She remembered how no one helped her. She remembered as he left her there broken and half-naked. She remembered going home to her husband. She remembered begging him for an extra fix. She remembered the beating she received for suggesting it.

Her knees crumbled underneath her as she bawled. Nicole pulled her knees up to her chest and rocked. She couldn't find the strength to move. She got trapped in the same memory. Replaying over and over.

As the night passed, Nicole passed out on the floor. Tears stained her cheeks and the floor. Nicole's legs were crisscrossed and her top was bent over. She was basically sleeping in half.

It was past midnight and Daryl wanted another bottle of whatever he could find. He wanted to escape this shitty reality for a night. He wanted to get hammered. Daryl walked down the hallway, heading for the kitchen. He passed the Rec room, almost missing the folded girl.

"Nicole?" he whispered. Daryl was almost surprised when he didn't hear her answer back. Daryl walked over tapping on her shoulder. She grumbled but still stayed in her crunched position. "Yer not wakin' up anytime soon, are ya?" he asked.

Nicole grumbled again. Daryl sighed and grabbed her arm. He swung it around his shoulder and scooped her up. He hoped to go that no one saw him doing this. He knew that it wasn't a secret that she was the only person he was close to in the camp. He knew it wasn't a secret that she, in her own sarcastic way, kept him grounded. He knew that it wasn't a secret that he cared for her and that little girl. He just hoped that this wasn't as soppy as he felt like it was.

Daryl cradled the clean woman. His right hand curled gently around her bare thigh and his left cradling her head. Nicole's arms wrapped around his neck while soft snores escaped her mouth. Daryl could smell the alcohol reeking off of her. He doubted it was any less for him.

The redneck opened the door and saw the makeshift beds she had made. Daryl made his way over to the couch, laying her down. He covered her up with a blanket.

Daryl lingered for a moment. He watched her shallow breaths and how her arms and legs curled at her chest. He wanted to laugh at her fetal position, but he couldn't. She looked so peaceful and he was happy for her. Daryl didn't know a lot about her, despite people thinking the opposite.

Nicole was a reserved person. She never gave more information than needed. She never let down her guard and she didn't cry out her sorrows every spare second. Daryl had figured this out after weeks on the road with her. He had pieced together some of her past based off of things he noticed and the small things she told him.

With a sigh, Daryl turned to walk back into his room. As he took a step, a hand shot up and stopped him. He looked back to the sleeping girl. Her eyes were still shut, but she held his wrist. "Please, stay…" she murmured. "Please don't leave me alone."

"I won't," he uttered. Daryl kicked off his shoes and slid off his pants. He lowered himself onto the makeshift bed on the floor and pulled the blanket over him. His blue eyes gazed over to the sleeping woman before he turned and shut his eyes.

Morning came and Nicole woke up regretting her choices the night prior. Her head pounded almost worse than her concussion did. She turned toward the ceiling, putting her hand on her head. "Jesus," she uttered, closing her eyes.

Nicole removed her hand from over her eyes. She saw the dark bruises across her knuckles. She squinted at them for a minute before she remembered the reason why. Her mind instant flooded with questions. Is Lori okay? Does Shane have a black eye? I hope he has a black eye. Did Lori tell Rick?

She deeply inhaled and sat up. Nicole turned to exit the couch but paused when she saw Daryl Dixon laying next to her. Nicole felt her face blush as she remembered the thoughts from her shower. She felt her heart pick up slightly when she looked at his sleeping face.

"Shit," Nicole whispered to herself before getting up. She walked over to her backpack and pulled out her clean set of jeans. Nicole shimmied them on and slipped on her tennis shoes. Nicole then snuck out of the room before the man could wake up.

She made her way toward the kitchen. She walked in, seeing T making some breakfast and Lori sitting alone. "Morning," Nicole announced her presence.

"Hey, Nikki. You want something to eat?" T questioned as he flipped some bacon.

"Yes, please. Thanks, T," Nicole said as she bent down beside her best friend. She placed a gentle hand on her arm to let her know she was here. Lori peered down at her. Both of their eyes were bloodshot. "You okay?"

Lori shook her head. "No."

"He comes near you again, Lori. You let me know," Nicole told her. Lori just nodded.

T-Dog put started walking over with Nicole's plate of food and set it down. "Bon Appetit."

Nicole thanked him again and sat down. She began to eat her food when Dale and Andrea came in. T offered them food, they accepted. Then Carl came into the room and jumped in a chair beside his mother. T-Dog placed plates in front of everyone and they all started talking.

"Nicole, what happened to your hand?" Andrea asked concerned as she took a bite out of her bacon. Nicole looked at her, shocked. She didn't think Andrea would try to be concerned about her.

"Let's just said, I'm an angry drunk," Nicole lied with a smile. "I punched a door because I ran into it."

Dale and Andrea laughed. Dr. Jenner walked in with a bottle of aspirin. "I figured you all would need these," he said, handing the bottle to Lori and walked away.

Lori opened the bottle and took some out. "Why do you need aspirin?" Carl asked as his mother passed the bottle to Nicole.

"We're hungover. That's what happens when you drink too much," Nicole explained, "never do it." Nicole pulled out three pills and threw them in her mouth. She downed it with some water. After offering it to the other, she gave it back to Lori.

"Is Dad hung over?" Carl questioned again, taking a bite out of his bacon.

"Yeah. He is," Lori told her son. Glenn made his way into the kitchen sitting down, groaning.

Nicole laughed, "Hey, T. Make this poor boy some eggs."

"You got it! Chef Douglas' egg special coming right up," T-Dog responded from the actual kitchen.

"How're you feelin', peach?" Nicole chuckled, taking a drink of water.

"I feel horrible," he complained, holding his head. "Please don't be so loud,"

Nicole held this smirk on her face as she watched her friend groan. "Next time, don't let Daryl push you,"

Glenn looked up and glared at her. "He-- nevermind," Glenn groaned, placing his head in his hands.

Nicole heard footsteps and looked up to see Rick walking in. "Morning," he greeted.

"Are you hungover?" Carl immediately blurted out. "Mom said you'd be."

Nicole noticed as more people began to flood in. Carol, Sophia, Cheyanne, and Jacqui all walked in. Chey made her way over to her mom while Jacqui walked over to Glenn.

"Mom is right," Rick agreed with his wife.

"Mom has that annoying habit," She smirked over.

Chey hugged her mom and jumped into the seat next to her. "You okay, Mama?" she asked. Cheyanne noticed the bags under her mother's eyes and the bloodshot in them. She also noticed her hand.

"I'm fine, love. Just hungover," Nicole responded, giving her daughter a strip of her bacon. "Never get drunk."

"Eggs! Powdered, but -- I do 'em good," T-Dog announced as he walked out of the kitchen. Glenn groaned from the sudden loud noise. "I bet you can't tell." T started scraping some eggs onto everyone's plates. "Protein helps the hangover," he told Glenn.

Glenn groaned, "Don't ever ever ever let me drink again."

"No promises," Nicole chuckled. Glenn glared at her before trying to eat his eggs.

Nicole watched as Shane walked in. She tensed and looked to Lori. Her best friend's demeanor shifted to closed and reserved. She refused to look up from her bacon.

"You feel as bad as I do?" Rick asked as he drank some orange juice.

"Worse,"

Shane turned around. "The hell happened to you?" T-Dog asked. "Your eye?"

"I fell off the couch in my sleep," Shane said as he sat down.

"Never seen you do that before," Rick spoke up, looking at his partner.

"Me neither," Shane said, "not like me at all." He glanced over to both Nicole and Lori. Lori avoided eye contact. Nicole rolled her eyes.

"Morning," Dr. Jenner said as he walked in. Everyone greeted him.

"Doctor, I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing--" Dale began. Nicole watched as Daryl walked into the room.

"But you will anyway,"

"We didn't come here for the eggs," Andrea told him. Nicole rolled her eyes at how rude they were. This man is literally giving them free food, shelter and showers. Nicole held her tongue. No one wanted to hear Andrea and her bicker first thing.

Daryl walked around to where Nicole and Cheyanne sat. T-Dog handed him a plate and he sat down next to Nicole. She tensed because he got so close.

"After breakfast, I'll answer your questions," Dr. Jenner said, "but only after."

Dale and Andrea nodded. Everyone started to eat their breakfast. Small talk erupted on occasion but that was it. Everyone was so tired from the long night of partying.

"Everyone done?" Dr. Jenner asked. Most everyone nodded. The rest shoveled it in and got ready to go. "Follow me."

The group followed the Doctor into the big room. Cheyanne and Nicole held hands as they walked up the stairs. Dr. Jenner walked over to a keypad and swiped his key card. "Give me a playback of TS-19."

"Playback of TS-19."

The big screen lit up with blue. Nicole raked her hands through her clean blonde hair. Cheyanne watched in awe.

"Few people ever got a chance to see this," Jenner told the group. "Very few."

Nicole watched as the computer layered the person it automated. "Is that a brain?" Carl suddenly asked.

"An extraordinary one," Jenner replied. "Not that it matters in the end."

Daryl appeared beside Nicole. He placed his hands on his hips as he watched the screen. "Take us in through the EIV," Jenner told Vi.

"Enhanced Internal View,"

The EIV showed these a ray of blue and greenish lines leading to the brain. The person who laid there, just allowed this to happen. The EIV entered one of those lines. There were interconnected strings upon strings inside. They lit up as they sent signals to each other.

"What are those lights?" Shane asked.

"It's a person's life -- experiences, memories. It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light is you--" Jenner explained. "The thing that makes you unique and human."

Daryl leaned against the desk behind Nicole. "You don't make sense ever?"

Dr. Jenner continued, "Those are synapses, electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says, does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death."

Nicole peered down to her fascinated daughter. Rick suddenly stepped forward, "Death? That's what this is, a vigil?'

"Yes," Jenn muttered. "Or rather the playback of the vigil."

"This person died? Who?" Andrea asked as she stepped forward.

"Test Subject 19. Someone who was bitten and infected…" Jenner paused as he admired the screen. Nicole got the feeling that he knew and loved this person. "And volunteered to have us record the process."

"Vi, scan forward to the first event," he told the computer.

It repeated his command and the screen zoomed out. Nicole noticed how black veins seeped into the blue and green lights. "What is that?" Nicole and Glenn questioned almost in tandem.

"It invades the brain like meningitis." The person started to struggle with breath. "The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes into shut down, then the major organs," Jenner explained. The person's brain turned completely black. "Then death."

"Everything you ever were or ever will be gone." Nicole saw Andrea lower her head in sadness.

"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia asked her mother.

"Yes," Carol replied.

Andrea teared up. Dr. Jenner gave her a curious look. "She lost somebody two days ago," Lori told him. "Her sister."

"I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is," Jenner tried to soothe her. "Scan to the second event."

"Scanning to Second Event,"

As the screen sped forward, Dr. Jenner began talking. "The resurrection times vary wildly. We have reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we heard of was eight hours."

Nicole stepped forward as she watched the screen. She subconsciously picked at her nails. For some reason, this made her nervous.

"In the case of this patient, it was two hours, one minute, seven seconds," Jenner said. The way he described the time -- the emotion in his voice -- confirmed to Nicole that he knew this patient personally. She felt bad for the man.

Nicole watched as a small, pink light erupted from the brainstem of the dead person. "So this thing restarts the brain?" Nicole asked, running her hands through Cheyanne's hair.

"No, just the brain stem. Basically, it gets them up and moving," Jenner answered her.

Nicole watched as the light spread slightly up the brain. "So they're not alive?" Rick asked, marching forward to the Doctor.

"You tell me." Jenner maneuvered out of Rick's way, so he could see.

"It's nothing like before," Rick said. "Most of that brain is dark."

"Dark, lifeless, dead." Jenner looked over to the man and the back to the screen. "The frontal lobe, the neocortex, the human part -- that doesn't come back. The you part."

"Just a shell. Driven by mindless instinct," Jenner continued.

Nicole watched something enter the right side of the screen and then something ripped through the skull of the newly turned walker. Nicole knew what it was -- a gun and a bullet. She heard Carol ask what that was.

"He shot them. Put them down," Nicole responded to her.

"Vi, power down the main screen and work stations." Jenner started walking away.

Vi did as it was told. Nicole walked back over toward Daryl. He leaned against one of the work stations with his arms crossed. "You have no idea what it is, do you?" Andrea asked. Nicole honestly kinda thought that the way she said it was bitchy, but she understood. She was thinking about Amy.

"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal." Jenner listed. He didn't know what it was. Even if he had an inkling, how could he be sure all by himself in the huge place?

"Or that wrath of God?" Jacqui asked in full-fledged seriousness.

"There is that," Jenner uttered.

Nicole sighed. With this new information, she realized that there was most likely no way back from this world. She wanted to have hope for Cheyanne, for her friends. But, this news almost shredded any hope for a cure or for things to go back to the way things used to be.

Andrea started to ask about other places who would be searching for a cure. Carol asked about the other facilities. Jenner replied, "There may be some. People like me."

"But you don't know? How can you not know?" Rick asked in a frustrated tone of voice.

"Everything went down. Communications, directives -- all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month," Jenner explained.

"So it's not just here. There's nothing left anywhere? Nothing?" Andrea asked. "That's what you're really saying, right?"

When Jenner didn't answer, Andrea scoffed. Nicole's eyes filled with salty tears. She knew there was nothing left anymore. "Man, I'm gonna get shitfaced drunk again," Daryl groaned as he rubbed his temples.

"Me too," Nicole uttered and looked down her little girl. Chey had tears streaming down her face. Nicole wiped them away.

"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you," Dale began talking. Nicole watched as he walked forward, watching the wall. "And I hate to ask one more question, but--" Nicole turned to see what he was staring at. "That clock -- it's counting down. What happens at zero?"

Nicole paused for a moment. She mentally smacked herself for not noticing it any sooner.

"The basement generators-- they run out of fuel," Jenner responded and began to walk off.

"Hey! What happens then?!" Nicole yelled at the man. He didn't respond and kept walking. "Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" She asked the computer.

"When the power runs out, facility-wide decontamination will occur."

"Shane, Glenn, T-- come with me. The rest of you go to the rooms," Rick commanded before they raced off to try and find the basement.

Nicole ushered Cheyanne as the rest of the group started to head back to their rooms. Everyone started to question what the hell decontamination meant. Nicole and Cheyanne went into their room. "Chey, I want you to pack up your backpack, okay?" Nicole told her little girl.

"I'll be right back," Nicole said as she grabbed her backpack and headed out the door. She made her way toward the rec room. She knew that this was not one anyone's priority list. But it was on her's. Nicole marched in and made her way over to the bookshelf. She shoved in four or five books. She didn't pay attention to what they were. When she turned, she saw her book from the night before. Nicole grabbed it and shoved it inside her bag as well.

Nicole zipped up her bag and swung it onto her shoulders. It was heavier than before, but it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Nicole made her way back to her room. Then a surge of electricity went through the halls. The lights went out.

"What the hell?" Nicole questioned. She turned around and saw the others coming out of their rooms.

"Mama, what's happening?" Cheyanne asked as she poked her head out of the room.

"C'mere, baby." Nicole grabbed her little girl. Lori and Carol began questioning the Doctor as he passed by. Nicole slipped off her backpack and left it beside the door. "Hey!"

Daryl poked is head out of his room asking the same thing as everyone else. Dr. Jenner grabbed the wine from his hand. "Energy use is being prioritized," Jenner finally responded.

"Air isn't a priority? And lights?" Dale asked. His face filled with worry and fear. Nicole wanted to scoff and say that the lights weren't. They hadn't lived with them for months, but she concluded that now was not the time to be snarky.

Jenner took a swig of the alcohol and then responded, "It's not up to me. Zone Five is shutting itself down." He kept on walking. The group followed after the doctor.

"Hey! Hey, what the hell does that mean?" Daryl called as he charged after the doctor.

"Hey! He's talking to you!" Nicole yelled as she got followed close to Daryl.

"What the hell do you mean it's shutting itself down?" Daryl was obviously getting pissed. Hell, so was Nicole. "How can a building do anything?"

"You'd be surprised," Jenner simply responded as he continued to march into the big room.

The group followed in suit. Nicole and Cheyanne were hand in hand; Daryl walked right beside them. Rick turned the corner and demanded to know what was happening. "The system is dropping all the nonessential uses of power," Jenner began telling him. "It's designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That started as we approached the half-hour mark." He pointed to the clock, "Right on schedule."

Jenner gulped another drink of wine before handing it to Daryl. He grabbed it, angerly. It splashed right next to Nicole's feet. Jenner turned to Andrea. "It was the French," Jenner said before turning to start walking up the stairs. "They were the last ones to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, they stayed in the labs until the end."

"They thought they were close to a solution," He finished and started to up the stairs.

"What happened?" Jacqui questioned.

"Same thing that's happening here. No power grid. Ran out of juice," He answered and then pointed toward the computers. "The world runs on fossil fuel. I mean, how stupid is that?" He asked rhetorically before walking off.

Shane began storming up, but Rick stopped him. "Lori, grab out things. Everybody, grab your stuff. We're getting out of here now!" Rick yelled. Everyone began turning around. Daryl nudged Nicole's back, and then an alarm went off.

"Mama? What is that?" Chey cried out.

"I don't know, baby," Nicole said. She saw the big screen jump on and a timer appears on it.

"Thirty minutes until decontamination,"

"What the hell is going on?!" Nicole yelled.

Jenner walked over to something. Nicole couldn't see it. "Everybody, Y'all heard Rick. Get your stuff and let's go! Go now! Go!" Shane commanded. Nicole immediately grabbed Cheyanne's arm and started for the door.

But then it shut.

"He just locked us in!" Glenn yelled. Cheyanne instantly began crying in fear. Nicole could feel her nerves start to shake. Anger and fear flooded her. Overwhelmed her. She wanted to shut down.

Everyone ran to the deck where Rick and Shane stood. Daryl went over to Nicole. He saw the fear in her eyes. He saw the fear in her little girl's. He turned around and charged, "You son of a bitch."

"Shane!"

"You locked us in here!" Daryl yelled, grabbing the doctor's chair. Shane grabbed Daryl pulling him away. T-Dog blocked the doctor.

"Jenner, open that door now." Rick marched over to the man.

"There's no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed," Jenner said.

"Well then unseal the goddamn things!" Nicole yelled. Her voice filled with tears and fear. She didn't want to die. A long time ago, sure. But now she had something to fight for. Nicole wanted her daughter safe. All of these people, safe. She wanted her family safe.

"That's not something I control. The computers do. I told you once that front door closed, it wouldn't open again. You heard me say that," Jenner lectured as he pointed his finger toward the group.

"We didn't think that you meant this! We don't want to die in here!" Nicole shouted at the man.

"It's better this way," Jenner said. He had no concern that he was about to kill thirteen people.

"What is?" Rick asked. "What happens in 28 minutes?"

Jenner turned away from Rick. Shane kicked his chair and Rick repeated his question. This time, however, he yelled it.

"You know what this place it?!" Jenner snapped as he stood up. "We protected the public from very nasty stuff!" He started getting into people's faces. Nicole only hoped that he would get in her's, so she could punch him. "Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strains that could wipe out half the country! Stuff you don't want getting out! Ever!"

Nicole stood still. She questioned why the hell she brought her daughter in here. Jenner sat back down. "In the event of a catastrophic power failure-- in a terrorist attack, for example -- HIT's are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out."

"HIT's?"

"Vi, define," Jenner said.

"HIT's -- high-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives,"

Nicole slid down one of the desks and cradled her little girl. She began bawling while holding her daughter close. Cheyanne started to cry into her mother's shoulders.

"Consist of a two-stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other know explosive except nuclear,"

Everyone began holding their loved ones. Daryl walked over and stood beside Nicole. He wiped his face as he watched them bawl.

"The vacuum-pressure effect ignites the oxygen at between 5,000 and 6,000 and is useful when the greatest loss of life and damage to the structure is desired."

"It sets the air on fire," Jenner muttered. Nicole peered up at him. Streams of tears ran down her face as she stared at the man. "No pain. An end to sorrow, grief…" Nicole buried her face into Cheyanne shoulder again. "Regret."

Nicole wanted to scream. She wanted to punch the living daylight out of this man. She wanted everything that was happening to end.

"Everything."

Daryl crouched down to Nicole and Cheyanne. "I'm getting ya outta here," he angrily muttered.

"Daryl, you can't promise that," Nicole whispered, glancing up to the redneck.

"Well, I am." He got up and stormed over to the door. Rick and Shane followed him. They tried to push it open. When that didn't work, Daryl threw his alcohol at the door. "Open the damn door!"

Shane spotted a fire hazard ax on the wall. He went over and started to beat on the door with it. T-Dog tossed another ax to Daryl, who joined Shane in beating on it.

"Please don't do this," Nicole pleaded to the Doctor. "You can't do this."

"You should've left well enough alone," Jenner responded. "It would've been so much easier."

"Easier for you! Not us!" Nicole cried. Cheyanne wiped her tears off her face but buried it back into her mother's after.

"You know what's out there -- a short, brutal life and an agonizing death," Jenner tried to persuade. Jenner turned to Andrea and started talking about how Amy died brutally. Andrea knew this first hand.

"Do not try and manipulate Andrea by bringing her sister into this!" Nicole shouted. "Stop trying to make it seem okay! It's not! You are going to murder us!" Nicole felt tears slip from her eyes. "God is going to damn you to hell for doing this!"

"Is that really what you want for your wife? You all's children?" Jenner asked Rick and Nicole.

"We don't want this," Rick emphasized.

Shane came over and leaned against a desk. "Can't make a dent," he panted.

"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher," Jenner stated matter-of-factly. Nicole didn't hear any scraping and looked over. She saw Daryl marching over.

"Well, your head ain't!" Daryl charged, trying to bury his ax into Jenner's head. Nicole shielded Cheyanne from the sight.

The men managed to push him away and disarm him. "You do want this. Last night you said you knew it was just a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead," Jenner retold.

Nicole glanced up at her friend -- their leader. "What?" she murmured in shock.

"What? You really said that?" Shane asked. "After all your big talk?"

"I had to keep hope alive, didn't I?" Rick asked rhetorically.

"There is no hope. There never was," Jenner spoke. His voice was starting to get on Nicole's nerves.

"There is always hope." Rick paced forward. "Maybe it won't be you, maybe not here, but somebody somewhere--"

"What part of 'everything is gone' do you not understand?" Andrea snapped.

"Listen to your friend. She gets it. This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event," Jenner said.

"It's not extinction if we are still here, asshole. We are alive," Nicole spat out. "We aren't dead. There more people out there, there has to be."

"This isn't right," Carol cried. "You can't just keep us here."

"One tiny moment-- a millisecond. No pain."

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!" Carol cried.

Nicole watched as Shane stormed off. Carol got up and walked away as well. "Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?"

Nicole's head shot up when she heard a gun cock. She tensed as Shane stormed over and aimed it at Jenner's head. Nicole scrambled up and moved out of the way. Rick tried to convince him. Shane started to scream. And then shots fired.

Nicole ducked and cradled her daughter's body with her own. Shots continued to fire then they stopped. Nicole stood back up and saw Rick standing over Shane. Threatening him with his own gun.

Everyone stood silent as Shane recovered. Nicole saw Daryl pace as he weighed his options. Stand here or beat the door. She knew that that door wasn't going to budge. They were going to die here.

"I think you're lying," Rick stated as he turned back around. Jenner perked up and stared at him. "You're lying about no hope. If that were true, you would've bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out. You didn't," Rick panted. "You chose the hard path. Why?"

"It doesn't matter," Jenner uttered.

"It does matter. It always matters. You stayed while others ran. Why?" Rick asked again. Nicole watched the doctor carefully. His demeanor shifted.

"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise…" Jenner stood up. "To her." he pointed to the screen. "My wife."

"Test Subject 19 was your wife?" Nicole questioned. Everything clicked in her head.

"She begged me to keep going as long as I could," Jenner explained. "How could I say no?"

Nicole flinched when she heard Daryl banging at the door again.

"She was dying. It should've been me on that table. I wouldn't have mattered to anybody. She was a loss to the world. Hell, she ran this place. I just worked here. In our field, she was an Einstein." Jenner teared up. "Me? I'm just Edwin Jenner. She could've done something about this. Not me."

"Dr. Jenner, she didn't have a choice. You do," Nicole spoke up, walking up to the two men. "Your wife would want us to have this choice. She would want us to have a chance."

Nicole glanced back to her little girl, who nervously held her arms across her chest. "Please."

"Let us keep trying for as long as we can," Lori pleaded. Dr. Jenner sighed and Nicole motioned for Cheyanne to come over. She ran over and engulfed her mother's legs.

"I told you topside's locked down. I can't open those," Jenner said before walking over to a small keypad. He scanned his ID and typed in a number.

The door came down. "Nicole, come on!" Daryl yelled. Everyone began making a b-line toward the door. Cheyanne ran toward the door with Lori. Nicole was honestly shocked that he opened the doors.

"There's your chance. Take it," Jenner told the two. Nicole looked over to him.

"We're grateful," Rick spoke on both of their behalves.

"The day will come where you won't be," he told them. Jenner pulled the two closer and whispered, "No matter how you die. Everybody turns."

Nicole was taken aback. She looked at Rick with shock. "Nicole! What the hell?! Come on!" Daryl's voice yelled. Nicole and Rick met each other's eyes. They stumbled forward as Lori ran up and grabbed both of their hands.

"We've got four minutes left! Come on!" Glenn yelled.

Nicole stumbled up the ramp and met with Cheyanne. She instantly pulled her into a hug. Jacqui and T-Dog were yelling. T was trying to convince her to come with them but she decided she was going to stay.

"There is no point in trying to argue. Not if you want to get out," Jacqui pleaded. "Get out." Shane went forward and pulled T up the ramp.

Daryl grabbed Nicole's hand and began pulling her away from the door. They paused when Dale wasn't coming.

"I'm staying too," Nicole heard Andrea's voice.

"Andrea, no," Dale pleaded. When she didn't listen, Dale turned to the group. "Just go! Go!"

Everyone scrambled and ran into their rooms. They grabbed their things and started running again. Daryl took off with Nicole's hand. Nicole held tightly onto Cheyanne's as they began running up the stairs. They ran up three flights before reaching the top. Daryl let go of Nicole's hand and ran forward toward the doors.

The men were yelling at each other to get the doors open. The doors weren't budging. Nicole walked beside Carol and Sophia. Rick tossed an ax to Daryl and him and Shane began beating on the windows with them.

T-Dog grabbed a chair and started to beat it. "Dog, get down! Get down!" Shane yelled before he shot the glass with his shotgun.

"Why won't the glass break?" Cheyanne cried, clutching her mother's legs in fear.

"Rick, I have something that might help," Carol said as she dug through her purse.

Shane said something snarky, but Nicole couldn't hear it over the sound of her heart beating in her chest. Carol pulled out a grenade. Rick had forgotten about that.

Nicole pulled Cheyanne down the small number of stairs. "Get down!" Daryl shouted at the two. Nicole covered her daughter's body before the glass shattered from the blast.

Everyone scrambled up and rushed out the window. Nicole held Cheyanne close as the men shot the monsters that were drawn by the blast. Daryl swung at one, swiping his head clean off. "Nicole, hurry up!"

The group ran as fast as they could. Daryl, Nicole, and Cheyanne jumped into Daryl's truck. Daryl grabbed his keys from the glove compartment. "Mama, look!" Cheyanne pointed at Dale and Andrea as they climbed out of the shattered window.

Daryl started his truck before they heard a horn honking. "Get down," Daryl shouted as he pulled down the two. There was a sonic blast that shook the car. Nicole could hear the explosion and things falling apart. When the wave stopped, Dale and Andrea ran into the RV.

They all began driving away from the explosion. As they did, Nicole couldn't help but think about what Dr. Jenner has said. She didn't know whether or not to believe him.

She didn't want to believe that they were all infected.

and that's a wrap of season 1! I barely ever see people that write their ocs knowing about the infection (undoubtedly they're out there tho.) this chapter is so long but you definitely got to see a more vulnerable side to nikki and you got a peak into her past. wasn't it sweet that daryl took care of her? do you guys ship dacole yet? i do, then again, i wrote it xD season 2 is gonna take a twist and stray from the show just a bit. hopefully you guys will like it. i know i definitely had fun writing it because nicole's character development is primest in these next chapters and i'm so proud of her. anyway, I will see you all monday with the first chapter of season 2. say hi to a stranger and tell your parents you love them. please vote and comment, i'd love to see what you guys think about nicole's story :) i love you all so much, have a great day/night. peaceeeee -erin


	23. 21

Nicole was so tired. She was tired of losing people. She was tired of losing the places she thought was safe. She was just tired in general. As the group drove away from the explosion at the CDC, Nicole felt a tear slip from her eye. It was for Jacqui. Her friend. The two may not have been close, but they cared about each other.

Engrossed in her thoughts, Nicole flinched when she heard Daryl's radio click on. She didn't realize how long she had zoned out. The group wasn't even in the city anymore.

"I see something up ahead," Rick's voice clicked through the receiver. Nicole watched as one by one the cars began to slide to a halt.

Daryl put his truck in park. "Let's just hope he don't lead us into a deathtrap," Daryl spoke in a bitter tone. "Again."

"He's doing the best he can," Nicole sighed as she opened the door. Nicole got out and Cheyanne followed. The group walked up to where Rick stood. Nicole saw the gates. She saw the houses. The sign read Wiltshire Estates.

"We can stay hold for the night. Clear it in the morning," Rick declared as he placed his hands on his hips. "We could build a life here."

Nicole nodded and glimpsed down her daughter. Cheyanne's tiny hand held onto hers. The group agreed and wandered back to their vehicles to grab a few of their things. Rick, Shane, and Daryl took point as they led the group into the community. Rick chose a house and the three cleared it.

Everyone piled into the house. They were exhausted after the emotional torture they had gone through. Nicole realized how the night would be coming soon. The group began hunkering down on chairs and couches near the cold fireplace. They got comfortable and began talking.

Nicole needed to speak to Rick about what Jenner said. "Rick," Nicole whispered. The man turned to his name. "C'mere." Nicole walked outside onto the porch and Rick followed, shutting the door behind him.

"Are we going to tell them?" Nicole whispered. "I mean, we don't know if it's true or not."

Rick sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I don't know," he breathed.

Nicole sighed and shifted her weight to her left side. "We don't have to. I mean, that man was crazy. He could've been lying. Trying to scare us into regretting our decision."

"What if he wasn't?" Rick suggested the alternative. "What if he was right? What if we do all turn no matter how we die?"

"We don't know that for sure though." Nicole ran her hands through the loose strands of her braid.

"Should we tell them?" Rick inquired. He didn't know what to do.

"It comes down to these options," Nicole began. "Tell them the truth and scare them to death if it's not true or them find out themselves and it is true then they be mad at us."

"I'd rather not tell them," Rick sighed, "At least until we know for absolute sure."

Nicole nodded. "Okay. We keep it between us until we know," Nicole agreed. "I'll back you up no matter what."

"Thank you," Rick uttered. The two of them turned back and went into the house. Some of the group had managed to find some blankets and were all settling down. Others had moved up to the bedrooms upstairs. Only people down in the living room was Daryl, Cheyanne, T-Dog, Dale, and Andrea.

Rick and Nicole parted ways. Rick went up the stairs to find his family and Nicole moved over to where Cheyanne laid passed out on the floor. She had a blanket encased around her so tight that she looked like a cocoon. Nicole chuckled softly. Andrea took the couch and Dale and T-Dog slept on the recliners. Daryl occupied the window seat, carving small lines into the wood.

Nicole slid down on the floor beside him and lifted Cheyanne's head onto her lap. "What'd you and Rick talk about?" Daryl whispered.

"Oh, um," Nicole searched for a lie, "I was telling him how we need to check the entire fence line. Make sure it was secure."

"Yer lying," Daryl scoffed. Nicole glanced up to him. He met her gaze and smirked softly, "Ain't none of my business."

Nicole sighed. She hated lying to him. To her family. But what Rick said had to go. She wasn't going to doubt his decisions more than she needed to. "Get some sleep, Nik," Daryl's whisper broke her away from her thoughts. He handed her his blanket.

"What about you?" She queried, tilting her head back to look up at him.

"I'll be fine," He whispered as he tucked his knife back into his sheath. He leaned his head back against the wall. "'Night, Nicole."

"'Night, Daryl."

-

Rick didn't wait to start the group up early. He wanted to do a once over of this entire place before they got comfortable. They broke up into groups of three and separated. They were going to search for their essentials. Food, medical supplies. They were also going to search for any of the monsters that they constantly ran from.

Everything was going fine until Nicole heard Cheyanne's terrified scream. Nicole and Daryl made a mad dash back toward the house. They could hear the sounds of gunshots from Cheyanne's .9mm. This only caused them to run impossibly faster.

"Cheyanne!" Nicole called. That's when she saw the monsters coming out of houses and wandering down the street. "Chey!" she cried as she ran back into the house, where the children were.

Nicole ran inside. She heard banging and crying. She ran up the stairs, finding a walker bashing onto the closet door. Nicole grabbed it and threw it to the ground. She took her foot and stomped the ugly thing. Brains gushed into her shoe and sloshed around inside of it. It made her want to throw up.

Nicole scrambled back over to the closet. She found Carl, Sophia, and her daughter huddled inside of it. "C'mon." Nicole clutched her daughter's hand. The three children instantly linked hands as Nicole pulled them down the stairs.

"Carl!"

"Sophia!"

Nicole ran out of the door. Daryl right behind her. "Everyone get back to the cars! Now!" Rick bellowed. The group made a dash to their vehicles. They all jumped in and started their vehicles. The group began to move.

"Daryl, wait!" Nicole cried and pointed to Shane, who was straggling behind. Daryl began honking and he poked his head out the window.

"Shane!" He shouted, honking some more. "Get Shane!" Daryl didn't stop honking until Nicole told him that Shane safely got into the RV. Every car slammed on their gas pedals and sped off.

Nicole panted and glanced over to Daryl. "You good?"

Daryl nodded. "You?"

"I'm fantastic," Nicole gasped. "You good, baby girl?"

Cheyanne looked up to her mother. "There were two walkers in the basement. I heard something banging down and went down there since no one was home," she murmured. "When I saw them, I screamed and ran. I told Carl and Sophia to run. I managed to shoot one, but I used all my bullets." Chey's brown eyes swelled with tears. "We ran up into the bedroom and locked the closet. The other monster tried to get us."

"But it didn't," Nicole soothed.

"Because you saved us, mama," Chey praised, hugging her tightly.

"Always, sweetheart."

"Promise?" Chey asked as she pulled away.

"I promise."

Nicole felt the vehicle slow down and skid to a halt. She recognized where they were. Guillermo's place. "Never thought we'd be coming back here," she said.

"Me either," Daryl responded before springing out of the vehicle. He grabbed his crossbow from the trunk and gave Nicole her baseball bat.

The three of them walked forward toward the rest of the group. "It looks like they're barely hanging on. What makes you think they'll take in strangers?" Nicole heard Andrea ask.

Daryl shot back, "Hell, with all the guns we gave them, they'll probably throw us a party." Nicole walked directly beside him with her bat held high. Chey held onto her shirt. "Good call. For once," Daryl quipped.

The group worked their way through the brick windows of the outside. Nicole stared up to the top and immediately got concerned. "Rick, there are no lookouts."

They rounded the corner and Nicole's heart dropped. Walkers were sitting there devouring people. People from G's group. "Oh my god," she whispered to herself. Cheyanne turned around and buried her face into her mother's legs.

Daryl held his crossbow out and Nicole took it. The walkers noticed them -- fresh meat. "To hell with the noise," Rick said before the men started shooting. Nicole crouched down, shielding her daughter from it.

When it stopped, she stood up. Daryl came over and grabbed his crossbow. "Come on!" Rick yelled. Nicole held her bat high, ready to swing at an undead freak. The men obtained point and navigated their way through the warehouse and out the back to the nursing home.

The group entered and the men checked the rooms. Nicole instantly saw a dead body on the ground. Chey slammed her eyes shut and hid her face in her mother's back.

"Keep your voice down," Shane told everyone.

Sophia glanced into a room and started to cry. Nicole assumed there was a dead body inside. "Put a sock in it!" Daryl whisper-yelled at her.

"Leave her alone," Carol whispered back.

"Shut her up or I will," Daryl responded. Nicole thought he had a point. They weren't safe here. At this point, she didn't think that they were safe anywhere. Sophia was just a child. Nicole knew this, but she thought she would know better by now.

"Daryl, back the hell off, now. And I mean, now." Nicole heard Lori yell from behind her.

"Rick, we staying or going?" Nicole questioned, holding her bat on her shoulder and her daughter's hand in the other hand.

"We don't have the fuel," Rick told the group.

"We'll hunker down for the night," Shane spoke, "Rick, you, me and Daryl are going to sweep the building. Make sure we're alone."

"Barricade those doors," Rick told the group.

Glenn went into a room and started to try to push out a medical bed. Nicole made her way over and helped him push it into place. Andrea grabbed a couple of chairs and threw it on top of the bed.

Everyone shot into a crouch when they heard glass crunch under a walkers foot. It pressed against the door, but it eventually left. Nicole grabbed Chey's hand and they ran off toward the other members.

They piled into the room they found them in. "Rick, is it clear?" Lori asked as they all shuffled in.

"Yeah," Rick began, "but upstairs is our best bet. We've cleared a few rooms. We can barricade those if we have to."

"We'll be all right," Rick tried to calm the group down.

"You mean it this time or are you lying to us like all the times before?" Carol shot at the sheriff. Nicole scoffed. She couldn't fathom why these people could not just be grateful that Rick is keeping them alive. He was only human. He made mistakes. He was not perfect.

"That is not fair and no help at all," Lori retorted back to the meek woman.

Nicole glanced around the room. She saw the number of bodies that laid on the ground. She acknowledged the bullet holes that went clean through their brains'. Nicole knew what happened here.

"What the hell happened?" Glenn questioned.

"What do you think? They got overrun," Andrea declared. Daryl scoffed at her. "Something to say?"

"Yeah, how about observant?" Daryl spat out.

"Observant. Big word coming from a guy like you. Three whole syllables," Andrea bitched.

"Andrea, do us all a favor and shut up," Nicole spat. She was not going to let her talk to Daryl the way she did.

Andrea scoffed and glared at the woman. "Walkers didn't do this. Geeks didn't show up until all this went down," Daryl started explaining. "Somebody attacked this place. Killed all these people and took whatever they wanted. They're all shot in the head execution style. Y'all are worried about walkers? I'd be much more worried about the people who came and did all this."

Daryl shifted his crossbow up on his shoulder. "Get a dictionary. Look it up," he spat and pointed to his head, "observant." Daryl stormed off and went up the stairs after he finished. Nicole couldn't help but smirk at Andrea lack of words.

The group followed after Daryl. They went up the stairs and entered a room. Shane and Rick separated and went into the kitchen. Nicole sat down and Chey sat in her lap. Daryl stood idly beside them until Shane and Rick came back in. "They ransacked the kitchen. All we found was one can," Shane said, tossing the can to Daryl. Daryl set his crossbow behind Nicole.

"They hit the dispensary too. Pulled the door off its hinges. All we found was this," Rick stated before he handed a little packet to Lori. Glenn found some paper plates and began passing them out.

"So we came back for cough drops and," Daryl paused to look at the cans label, "Garbanzo beans." Daryl rolled his eyes before he started opening the can.

"Is there any water?" Sophia chirped out.

Shane dug through his pack and pulled out the only bottle of water they had. "Just the one that I brought," he said as he stood up. He handed it to Carol. "Just a few sips, okay, honey? Make it last. That'll go for everyone, okay?"

"What else you got in there?" Andrea asked. Nicole was getting so annoyed with the sound of her voice. She couldn't understand how she went from disliking Andrea, to semi-caring about her, and then went back to disliking her in fewer than five days.

Shane tugged a bag of chips. "Ha, sneaky man," Nicole chuckled. Shane glanced back at her and gave a playful smirk to her. He then handed the package to Glenn.

"Courtesy of the CDC," Shane added. He pulled out more of them, tossing to each of the members. "Thought I'd be chomping down in my air-conditioned room. I didn't know it would be dinner."

Nicole glanced over as Glenn tried his best to evenly distribute the beans from the can amongst twelve people. Nicole felt weird thinking about that number. Just yesterday, she was double-checking the group to make sure everyone one was accounted for. She wanted to ease her paranoia. When she did her headcount, the number twelve made her nervous. She didn't want to think of Jacqui as gone. She didn't want to think about how her friend gave up. But now, the number thirteen would forever haunt her of the time when her friend was still alive and kicking.

"This is the last thing," Shane remarked as he pulled out a bottle of wine. Nicole watched as Daryl's face lit up.

"That to share?" he asked through a mouthful of beans.

"Seeing as how I owe you and Nicole my life." Shane handed the bottle over to Daryl. "I'mma go ahead and be nice to you from now on."

"Just doing what I gotta do to earn the first swab," Daryl half-joked and began to open the bottle.

"You guys go easy on that stuff," Lori spoke up. "Let's not forget where we are."

"Yes ma'am," Daryl quipped out.

Nicole took a bite of her food and watched Shane for a second. She saw how his black eye had faded a little and how her hand throbbed at the thought of hitting him again. Now, she didn't want to punch him again. Nothing like that. Nicole didn't want to think of that scene again.

With a sigh, Nicole decided that she didn't want to blame Shane forever. Nicole believed that he truly did love Lori and she led him on. It was one of the reasons Nicole hated their secret relationship at the Quarry. Lori didn't feel something toward him. She craved a release -- an escape. Shane fell right into her trap. Nicole couldn't forgive him for what he almost did to her best friend; but, she chose to forgive him for everything else.

"Shane, you don't owe us anything," Nicole uttered out, "You're family."

Shane gave her a gentle smile and muttered a thanks. Nicole took a few bites of her beans and a couple of chips. "Mama," Cheyanne whispered.

"Yeah, baby?" Nicole responded to her daughter.

"I gotta pee," Cheyanne whispered to her mother. Nicole chuckled and stood up, taking her daughter's hand.

"Where you goin'?" Daryl inquired, shoveling his last bite of beans into his mouth.

Nicole looked down to her daughter, who shook her head embarrassed. "None of your business," Nicole quipped and walked out the door. Nicole and Cheyanne passed T-Dog, who also asked where they were going. Nicole responded with the same thing and continued down the stairs.

When Nicole found the bathroom, she drew her gun out. "Wait here," she ordered Cheyanne and entered the room. Nicole's stance was defensive, prepared to shoot if anything popped out. She warily opened each of the stalls.

Nicole reached the final one. Bullet holes spread throughout the door. Nicole slowly opened it and gasped when she saw the dead body that sat there. She knew this old lady -- this kind old lady. Her body was shot up with holes. She noticed the one that was point-blank in the midst of her forehead. It wasn't difficult to recognize her as Felipe's grandmother. Nicole felt tears in her eyes when she saw that the woman's eyes were still open. They still conveyed her mass of fear as they stared idly at the wall in front of her.

Nicole's heart dropped at the sight. This woman didn't deserve this. None of these people did. What kind of monster would do this? Nicole thought. She knew that humanity would one day stoop to this level, especially in this horrid of times. Nicole hoped that God would deliver karma to the sons of bitches who did this.

With a tearful sigh, Nicole shut the stall door. She wiped the tears from her eyes and went back out to her daughter. "It's clear," she sniffed and motioned her little girl in.

"What's wrong, mama?" Cheyanne asked as she entered. Nicole shoved her gun into the back of her jeans.

"Nothing, sweetie. Just use the bathroom." Nicole pointed to the first stall. She didn't want to risk Cheyanne seeing that old woman.

Cheyanne made her way into the stall her mother said to. Nicole waited at the sink, staring into the mirror. She almost couldn't recognize herself. Four months passed since she was in the hellhole that Atlanta was now. Three and a half months since her car broke down and she met Daryl. Nicole couldn't believe how different she looked. Dark, deep bags were under her green orbs and her lips were chapped terribly. She observed the deep cracks that ripped through them like the grand canyon.

Nicole started biting the loose, chapped skin on her lips. She took note of her messy, braided hair. Most of it fell out of its place. Her right hand slid up and tugged the hair tie from the mess. She untwisted the remaining strands as Cheyanne strolled back into view.

"We need this, right?" Chey asked as she held up the half-empty roll of toilet paper. Nicole nodded. She seized Cheyanne's hand and they marched back up the stairs.

As they walked up the stairs, Nicole heard the men in the group talking. She heard Rick talk about going to Fort Benning and how they needed to lose some vehicles. It was so they prioritized gas. Shane said something about getting some sleep and they group dismissed. Everyone but T-Dog left the staircase.

Nicole started to step up the stairs again. T was left alone. "You hear all that?" he asked when he saw Nicole come up the stairs.

"Yeah. We're going to Fort Benning," Nicole responded.

"We're going to Fort Benning."

sorry it's a little late!! i fell asleep / anyway, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter and this half of the story. You're in for a wild ride :) love you all, be safe. Peaceee -erin


	24. 22

Blood is thicker than water is often misinterpreted. It suggests that family bonds were strongest when made by genes -- genetics and DNA. It suggested that the people you grow close to who are outside of your family tree will never be that. Blood is thicker than water is true literally; but, figuratively it was a lie.

The full truth -- the full saying -- perceived a completely different meaning. "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb". The complete truth reveals that soldiers that shed blood together form stronger bonds together than simple genetics did.

Nicole knew that this was the truth. Blood family never had her back. They never would have risked their lives to save hers. These people -- Daryl, Rick, Dale, Lori, Carl, Sophia, Glenn, T-Dog, Shane and Andrea -- weren't her friends. They were her family. Nicole knew that she would die for them. She knew that she would risk her own life to save any of theirs if it meant that they would be okay.

They were in for a journey. 125 miles of hard road to Fort Benning. That was their new goal. Nicole knew it would be daunting. It was probably going to be one of the hardest tasks they would ever do. 125 miles. That's what lied ahead.

Nicole watched as Daryl and T-Dog siphoned gas from the van, Shane's Jeep and Daryl's pickup. Daryl had decided that he was going to ride Merle's motorcycle because it was bountiful on gas. Everyone started to pack into their vehicles. They were ready for this.

Daryl pulled up beside Nicole, asking if she wanted to ride with him. Cheyanne was inside the RV, playing cards with Glenn. Nicole trusted him. She trusted the people inside of it and hopped onto the back of Daryl's bike.

"Let's saddle up!" Dale called out to Shane. Daryl drove in front of the caravan as each of the other vehicles started. Daryl revved his bike and they began their trek away from the Atlanta city.

Nicole's arms wrapped tightly around Daryl's torso. Her backpack bounced with the engine, the cracks and the dip in the road as they sped down the highways. Her infamous bat stuck from the zipper and Daryl's crossbow sat on the end of the motorcycle. Occasionally it would hit her in the ass, but she ignored it most of the time.

"Why're you holding on so tight?!" Daryl called out from over the sound of the engine.

"I don't know! I'm nervous!" She responded.

"Don't be! Let go! I got you!" Daryl let out a chuckle. Nicole felt the vibrations that tingled through his back as he did that. She thought back to the CDC -- to her kinky daydream. Nicole blushed at the thought. She hoped that he couldn't see it out of the corner of his eye.

Nicole shakily removed her hands from his waist and held them up. The cold air whipped through her blonde hair and stung her face. She'd never experienced this type of adrenaline before -- the excitedly scared type. A giant smile crossed Nikki's face as the soared down the roads. She had never felt more alive.

They drove for about thirty minutes. At least that's what Nicole assumed it was. Daryl was the first to spot the wreck up ahead. "Jesus Christ," Nicole whispered as Daryl slowed down his motorcycle. The pair began weaving through the vehicles, trying to find a way through.

Daryl turned around rather quickly. It gave Nicole a heart attack, but she wouldn't tell him that. Nicole clutched onto him loosely as they pulled up to Dale's RV window. "You see a way through?" the older man inquired. Daryl glanced back toward the wreckage and the nodded.

Once again, they turned around and began weaving through the wreck. This time with the caravan following them. It was eerily silent other than the sound of crows cawing from the disabled power lines. Nicole's eyes peered into the vehicles that they passed; she peered at the decayed bodies of the people inside of them.

"This is so creepy," Nicole whispered to herself. Daryl didn't say anything about her remark. When Nicole didn't think it could get any creepier, Dale's RV made a bursting noise. "Aw, shit." Nicole flinched at the sudden sound. It pierced the silence, scaring her to literal death.

"Oh, what the hell is it this time?" Daryl uttered under his breath as he slowed his motorcycle to a halt. Nicole shifted off of it and then Daryl followed. Cheyanne was not hesitant in making her way over to her mother and cupping her hand in her own.

"I said, didn't I say it? A thousand times. Dead in the water," Dale complained as he rounded the corner to the burst of smoke that erupted from inside his beloved RV.

"Problem, Dale?" Shane questioned.

"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of--" Dale paused when he realized where they were. Nicole glanced around the graveyard. While it may have been morbid, this place could have been a gold mine.

Daryl walked over to a car and began digging through it. "I'm sure we can find a new radiator hose here, Dale," Nicole voiced as she walked closer to her redneck friend.

"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find," Daryl responded to her as he continued to dig.

"We can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start," T spoke up as he walked over closer to Daryl and Nicole.

"Maybe some water?" Carol asked.

"Or food?" Glenn offered as he nervously shifted side to side.

Nicole glanced to Lori. Their eyes met and Nicole knew what she was thinking. "This is a graveyard," Lori spoke up. Everyone went silent and glanced to one another. "I don't know how I feel about this."

"Lori, I know this isn't an ideal place to look for stuff, but we need it and we are here." Nicole offered her opinion. Chey held onto her mother's hand in paranoia as she glanced around for any monsters. Lori sighed and nodded. T-Dog went inside the RV to get his siphoning tube and a gas can.

"C'mon, Y'all. Look around and gather what you can," Shane spoke up and the group scattered.

Nicole and Cheyanne started walking out into the wreckage. "Hey," Daryl's voice called out to the pair. They looked back to him as he shifted his red bandana in his hands. "Be careful," he said, glancing to Nicole. "Both of you."

Nicole playfully scoffed, "I'm always careful, hillbilly." Daryl shot her a smirk before returning to digging into the trunk of a car. Nicole and Cheyanne walked up to a truck. Its bed was full of suitcases and bags.

Chey let go of her mom's hand and opened up the passenger door. Nicole began rummaging through the cases. "Hey, mama?" Nicole heard Cheyanne call from inside.

"Yeah?" Nicole responded and continued to dig through cases. She found a bottle of aspirin, some bandages and medical tape. She shoved the findings into her bag after taking out her bat. She leaned it against the vehicle as Cheyanne walked around to her.

"I found this," Chey said, offering her mother a hunting knife. "I thought you could use it."

Nicole glanced up to her daughter's brown eyes."What about you?" she questioned.

"Too big," Chey nonchalantly shrugged. She insisted by nudging it toward her mom.

Nicole chuckled and dug through her bag again. She found her switchblade and flipped it open. "Make you a deal," She began. Chey knew where this was going. "I'll take this if you take this one." Chey pondered for a second. The pros and cons were weighing in her little mind. Pros: she could defend herself quietly against the monsters and she could rub it in Carl and Sophia's faces. Cons -- well, she couldn't think of any at the moment in time. Chey eagerly nodded, switching weapons with her mother.

"That is not a toy, you understand me?" Nicole quipped, grabbing her cheeks. Nicole missed pinching the chubbiness of them. Over the months, the two had lost weight. She was pretty sure everyone had.

"Yes ma'am," Cheyanne responded with a smile. They two glanced back at the sudden cheering that came from behind them. Glenn and Shane cheered at the sight of a truck of water. "Oh hell yes," Cheyanne chirped out.

Nicole whipped her head around to her little girl. "What'd you just say?" She asked with a small smile. Nicole wasn't mad at the little girl -- just shocked. Cheyanne used to get onto Nicole for swearing and always called her out. It got to the point where they kept a swear jar in the house.

Cheyanne cowered. She was afraid of her mother's reaction. "I'm sorry," she whispered out. Nicole giggled and glanced toward the forest that they stood near.

"I'm not mad, Chey." Nicole glanced down to her daughter with a smile.

"Nicole! Cheyanne! Get under the cars, now!" Rick whisper-yelled at the two. Nicole took no hesitation in shoving Chey under the truck.

"Where's Lori and Carl?" he pleaded.

"They went ahead!" Nicole responded as she dropped her bag and shimmied under the car with her daughter. The two embraced as the monsters began to walk by. Fear was the only thing the two were experiencing. Their shuffling feet passed by and they often lost footing as their ankles rolled.

Nicole hoped that one wouldn't fall. She hoped that the rest of her group got to some sort of safety. Chey's breaths labored as tears of fear filled her eyes. Nicole's eyes met with her daughter's. She mouthed, "It's okay." to the little girl.

After a few minutes, the last of the monsters shuffled by. Chey began to untangle herself from her mom and try and scoot out. Nicole noticed two stragglers and pulled her daughter back into her grasp. Hopefully, before they saw.

The two stragglers passed and Nicole let out a quiet relieved sigh. They waited for a few moments and then a child's scream erupted from a few cars in front of them. She saw Sophia run down the steep side of the highway. Nicole didn't hesitate to jump into action. "Wait here. Do whatever anyone tells you. Especially Rick, Lori, Dale, and Daryl. I'll be right back. I love you," Nicole rapidly fired out, grabbing her bat and raced after the little girl.

Nicole scuffled down the side. She chased after the frightened little girl. Nicole could hear her scared pants and cries. She saw the two walkers that were chasing after the small girl. "Not today," she whispered to herself. Nicole continued running toward Sophia's pants.

Then Sophia fell. Nicole ran over as grabbed her as she got up. Sophia screamed in terror from being grabbed. That's when Rick rounded the corner. "Are you all right?" Nicole tried to soothe the little girl. Sophia nodded and instantly tried to grab Nicole's gun.

"Shoot them!" Sophia pleaded.

"I can't!" Nicole whispered to her.

"The walkers on the road would hear it. There wouldn't be just two, it would be hundreds," Rick stated before motioning that it was time to go. Nicole scooped up the little girl and they began running again.

Rick and Nicole stopped at a creek. "I'll go down," Rick offered and slid down the banks. Nicole put Sophia down and she jumped into Rick's arms. Nicole followed afterward.

The water soaked through tennis shoes and sloshed. Nicole hated it almost as much as walker brains sloshing inside of them. Rick and Nicole ran over an old beaver dam. Roots had started to grow through it. "Sophia, I need you to hide in there. Squeeze in tight," Rick told the scared girl. "We'll draw them away from you."

"No, no, don't leave me," Sophia cried as she pulled up her pants.

Nicole clutched her bat tightly, "Rick, I'll stay with her. Keep her safe." Rick looked over to Nicole and nodded.

"Listen, listen, listen," Rick whispered, "They down get winded. I do. I can only deal with them one at a time. I wouldn't be able to protect both of you." Rick cupped her scared face. "This is how we all survive. You understand?"

Sophia nodded. "C'mon, sweetie," Nicole ushered the little girl inside the dam. Sophia grabbed onto Nicole's pants when then slid in.

"Nicole, if I don't make it back, run to back the highway. Back to the others straight the way we came. Keep the sun on your left shoulder," Rick explained.

"Stay safe, Rick."

"Likewise," Rick responded. Nicole huddled in the dam with Sophia. Rick taunted the walkers until one of them fell into the water. Nicole cringed before Rick began running off.

"Come on!" Rick called out. She could hear him taunting them as he ran away. Sophia started to wiggle out when she couldn't hear him anymore.

"Sophia," Nicole whispered as she followed the girl. "Wait for me." Nicole got out of the dam. Her pants were now soaked and so was her dirty, white shirt.

Nicole climbed up the hill they came, helping Sophia up as well. Nicole felt Sophia grip tightly on to the white soaked shirt while Nicole held her bat high. They two began walking toward the highway again. Sun on your left shoulder, Nicole heard Rick's voice tell her.

The duo walked in silence other than the leaves crunching under their feet. Sophia nervously held onto her doll. "We'll be okay, Sophia," Nicole whispered, trying to calm the girl. Nicole heard a snap from above and a branch drop from a tree. She saw as a squirrel dash across the branches. Nicole also spotted a single crow sitting and watching them. "It's okay, Sophia." Nicole started to turn back. "It was just a sq--" Nicole's heart dropped when Sophia was no longer standing next to her. "Sophia!" Nicole called out.

She spotted the little girl's blonde hair as she ran away. Nicole dashed after her. "Sophia," She called out, "Stop!"

The little girl didn't stop. "Sophia!" Nicole got frustrated. She knew that Sophia was a scared girl because of her father. She knew that it was probably in her instincts to run from danger. But Nicole expected that she would have been smart enough to not run off in this world. That's what frustrated her the most.

Sophia eventually stopped and waited for Nicole to catch up. "Sophia," Nicole panted, trying to catch her breath. "Don't ever run away like that again." Nicole tried to steady her breathing while looking around. It was official. She had no clue where in the living hell they were.

"I'm sorry," Sophia whimpered, clutching her doll tightly.

"It's okay, sweets. Just trust me, okay?" Nicole offered a smile and a hand to the girl. Sophia gently grabbed it as Nicole peered up to the sky. "Night's gonna come soon. We won't make it back to the highway tonight."

"What about my mom?" Sophia whimpered.

Nicole bent down. Her blue jeans digging into the cold, leaf covered ground. "We can't get back to your mom if we are tripping over ourselves in the dark, honey," Nicole explained, looking into the little girl's brown eyes. They reminded her a lot of Cheyanne's. God, she hoped that Chey was okay. "First thing in the morning, we'll figure out where we are and get back to the highway, okay?"

Sophia nodded. The two began walking. It was silent again and they held hands. Nicole was not taking the chance of her running away again. Nicole's left hand carried her bat on top of her shoulder.

The two entered a clearing. There was a cabin in the middle. Nicole dubbed it to a godsend. She was ecstatic and she glanced up to the sky. "Thank you," she whispered.

The two walked inside the cabin. Nicole whistled loudly and then spoke out, "Honey, I'm home." in a singsong voice. When no monsters came out, Nicole let out a relieved sigh.

"Is it safe?" Sophia chirped out.

"I think so," Nicole said before making her way to the kitchen. She searched through the cupboards and only found two cans of sardines. "I guess this is dinner."

"Gross," Sophia grunted out as she picked up a can.

Nicole sighed, "It's the best I can do, love." Nicole placed the sardines on the counter before making her way up the shallow stairs. There were only two doors upstairs. She opened on and found an empty bathroom.

When she opened the other, a wave of stench flooded her nose. On the bed laid an old man and woman. Each had guns in their hands and their brains splattered across the wall. Nicole cringed at the dreadful sight. She walked inside, grabbing the guns in their hands. One of the gun's bullets could fit hers, while the other was a shotgun. She grabbed that as well.

Nicole noticed the black gun cases on the floor and walked over to them. There was a gun strap inside of the one for the shotgun. Nicole praised the Lord. She didn't grab her backpack before she ran after Sophia. Nicole clipped on the strap and slung the gun across her back.

She began digging through the old couple's nightstand drawers. She tried to ignore the stench from being so close. Nicole didn't find much other than a necklace chain, which she took for Cheyanne. Chey looked high and low for something to put Jim's ring on, so she wouldn't lose it. Nicole shoved the chain in her pocket and turned to the door.

Nicole walked out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She then made her way down the steps and back to Sophia.

"I found a blanket and a pillow," Sophia spoke up, showing Nicole.

"Good job, Soph." Nicole took them and sat them on the table near them. "We are going to find a place to make you a makeshift bed," she began. "The room upstairs isn't any good and by the looks of it, neither is the couch."

"So where are we going to sleep?" Sophia questioned, looking around.

Nicole smirked. If she was going to be with Sophia, she was going to at least try and teach her something. "You tell me."

Sophia's face glanced to Nicole shocked. She didn't expect to have to think about where to sleep. Nicole encouraged her to try. Sophia sighed and glanced around the room. She walked over to the cupboard and opened it. There was enough room for her to sleep in. "What about here?"

Nicole nodded. "Good job. Can you tell me why that's a safe place?" Nicole asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sophia thought for a moment before responding. "It's easy to hide in and I can shut the door if something gets in."

Nicole nodded, proudly. She grabbed the blanket and pillow and handed it to the little girl. "Go to sleep. I'll take watch, okay?"

Sophia laid down the things. "But you need sleep too."

Nicole shook her head. "I'll be fine. Go to sleep, Sophia. Get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow."

With a sigh, Sophia curled up under the blanket and fell asleep in almost an instant. Nicole slid off the shotgun she found and set it on the table and nervously ran her hands through her hair. She had a bad feeling about tomorrow.


	25. 23

Nicole didn't sleep the previous night. Thoughts swarmed her mind about her family on the highway. She prayed that they wouldn't leave them lost in the forest with no hope of ever finding them again.

Nicole knew how to survive. Well, to an extent. Sophia, on the other hand, was shielded from everything. Even the reality of the world before. Sophia reminded Nicole of Amy in a way. Sophia's innocence would get her killed. She'd have to toughen up if she wanted to survive the mess they lived in. Carol would have stop protecting her daughter from everything.

Nicole's thoughts veered to Cheyanne. That little girl was probably a wreck -- worrying about her mother. Nicole was all that Cheyanne had left. Cheyanne was all that Nicole had left. Neither could imagine life without one another. They didn't want to and that's what drove Nicole harder to get back to their family.

After Sophia woke up, the pair ate the two cans of sardines they had found. Sophia detested the taste of it, but she was hungry. She knew that this was all they would have for a while. Nicole continued eating, disregarding the complaints of the younger girl beside her.

"Nicole?" Sophia broke the silence before hesitantly putting another sardine in her mouth.

Nicole swallowed the mouthful she had. Just like Sophia, Nicole hated the taste. She was hungry though and that was all that mattered. "Yeah?"

"When we find my mom, can-" Sophia paused questioning whether or not to ask her question. She knew her mother would not approve of it. "Can you teach me to shoot?"

Nicole stared at the little girl with evident shock on her face. Sophia continued speaking, "I don't wanna be afraid anymore. I don't wanna run from walkers anymore."

"If your mom agrees, Sophia, I'll gladly do it." Nicole offered the girl a smile before standing up and placing her empty can in the trash. Sophia smiled and stood up. She stepped over to the trashcan and placed her sardine can in it.

Nicole breathed and slipped the shotgun she found over her shoulders. She grasped her bat and set it on her shoulder. "You ready to go, Sophia?"

No response. Nicole spun around and Sophia wasn't there. The older woman's heart froze. "Sophia!"

"Nicole, come here!" Sophia's soft voice called from the living room. Nicole sighed in relief. She wandered into the living room where Sophia stood on a chair reaching toward a string that was hanging from the ceiling. "It's an attic. There might be some supplies."

Nicole walked over and ushered her down, handing Sophia her bat. Nicole climbed onto the chair and knocked on the attic. She paused for a moment. She was listening for any noise. When there wasn't any, Nicole pulled down the ladder. She climbed up and glanced around.

It was dark, but the daylight from outside shined through the linen. It gave her enough light to see a jug of water in there. Nicole smirked in pride and seized the jug. Her smirk faltered when she realized it was empty. "Shit."

Nicole clambered down and showed Sophia the jug. "That's all that's up there," Nicole sighed. Nicole took her bat from Sophia's extended hand.

"Maybe we can go to the creek, where Rick left us," Sophia offered up. Nicole cocked her head and glanced down to the young girl. She felt proud. Sophia may have been a timid and skittish little girl, but she was smart.

"Good idea, Sophia." Nicole marched away and set the empty jug and bat on the table. She drew out her .9mm and added the bullets into her clip.

"How many do you have?" Sophia asked, clutching her doll. She watched the way Nicole handled her gun. She mentally took notes.

"I have five bullets now," Nicole replied as she shoved her clip back into the gun. She tucked in back into her jeans. "You ready to go, Sophia?"

Sophia sighed and nodded. Nicole grasped her bat and the empty jug. They two started out toward the creek to fill up the jug. They didn't talk in the off chance that a walker was nearby. Nicole held her bat on her left shoulder as they walked.

Sophia held tightly onto Nicole's dirty white shirt. She didn't want to get left behind. They eventually reached a part of the creek. There was a waterfall, a pool and rock paths down there. The only problem that Nicole noticed was the steep drop to get down there.

Nicole groaned and squatted near the edge of the drop. She slid off the shotgun and placed it against the tree. "I want you to wait here," Nicole told the little girl. Sophia's face spread with fear.

"No, Nikki, please," Sophia pleaded, grabbing onto Nicole's white shirt. Nicole turned and was about to say something to the young girl. But that's when the ground crumbled under her feet, sending Nicole tumbling down.

Nicole landed on her ankle with a sickening crack. It reminded her of the pleasurable sounds of bashing walkers heads in. "Nicole!" She heard Sophia cry out.

"I'm okay!" Nicole responded as she tried to get up. When she put pressure on her ankle, a painful cry escaped from her mouth.

"Can you climb back up?" Sophia called down. Nicole got nervous leaving her up there by herself. She didn't want to lose her after coming this far and this close to getting them back home.

Nicole moved her hands down to her ankle. She tugged up her right jean leg. Bruising and swelling were prominent around the site. With a sigh, Nicole knew that her ankle was either fractured or broken. She hoped that it was just fractured. "No!" Nicole called back up.

"I'm gonna come down!" Sophia shouted.

"Be careful!" Nicole glanced around for her blue baseball bat and that cursed jug. She saw it sitting close to the water. Nicole was thrilled that it made it down safely. The jug floated on top of the water.

Nicole heard the ground crumble as Sophia slid down. She maneuvered carefully down the roots and loose dirt. They both released a sigh of relief when she got down without injury. Sophia scrambled over to her friend. "Are you okay?"

"My ankle is either fractured or broken," Nicole groaned.

"What can I do?" Sophia asked frantically. She wanted to get out of here before monsters came. She wanted her mom.

"Get my bat for me," Nicole ordered. Sophia nodded, setting down her doll and running over to grab Nicole's bat.

Sophia handed it to the older woman. Nicole sighed and started to stand up. She pressed her weight onto the bat, using it as a makeshift crutch. Sophia shuffled behind her friend as she limped over to the fallen tree that laid down the middle.

Nicole sat down. She started wondering if her group was even looking for them. She hoped that Daryl would find them. Nicole ached to be home with her family. She wanted to crush all of her family in hugs -- especially her little girl.

Sophia peered up to Nicole with a fearful gaze. "Nikki, what do I do?" She asked.

Nicole sighed as she sat there. She ran through the possible solutions she had to try and help her ankle. "Sophia, go look for two sticks about this long," Nicole said as she measured about six-inches. "And about the width of my wrist." Nicole motioned her wrist to the little girl.

Sophia nodded and dashed off to try to find what Nicole asked for. Nicole moved her bat to sit in her lap. She surveilled the surroundings; they had made quite a bit of noise.

Nicole felt her ankle throbbing as Sophia came back with the sticks. "This was the best I could find," Sophia announced, handing them to her.

"You did good, sweetheart." Nicole smiled and ripped off the bottom of her white t-shirt. Once she ripped it off, it looked like a crop top. Nicole couldn't care less though. She slid off her dainty, blood caked tennis shoe from her right foot. "I need you to hold these here," Nicole said as she shifted the thick sticks to the sides of her ankle.

Sophia did as she was told and Nicole tightly tied the white fabric around them. She made sure it was tight before she stood up. "Let's keep going," Nicole whispered as she shifted her weight onto her bat. That's when a walker slugged from the forest. Sophia started to cry behind her.

Nicole tried to lift her bat, but she lost balance. She didn't want to waste a bullet, but she had no choice. Nicole's left hand removed her gun from the tuck of her jeans and aimed. Nicole was not left handed, so her aim sucked when she shot. The first bullet pierced the shoulder of the monster. She shot again. This one grazed its cheek. "Shit!" Nicole cried. She tried to back up, but she lost balance again.

Nicole collapsed to the ground, dropping her gun. Sophia grabbed Nicole's gun in a hurry and aimed. Tears slid down her face as the thing limped closer. "Sophia! Shoot!" Nicole cried.

Bang!

Sophia's single shot went through the monster's head and it collapsed. That's when it hit the little girl. That was the first time she had killed something.

Nicole huffed, leaning back onto the rocks under her. She took a massive inhale before she sat back up. Nicole grabbed the gun from Sophia, who stood in shock of what she did. Nicole shoved the gun back into her jeans. She cringed at the heat that radiated from it. "You did good, sweetie. Thank you," Nicole praised as she started to get up. She used her bat as leverage.

"We need to get out of here before more walkers come," Nicole stated before Sophia wrapped her tiny arms around Nicole's waist. They limped off. Neither realized that Sophia left the one thing that gave her some comfort: her doll.


	26. 24

After hours of limping in silence, church bells sounded off in the distance. It startled Nicole, who was on the verge of passing out. She hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours and her ankle was throbbing something awful each step she took.

Nicole didn't know what to do. Sophia wanted to race toward the sound, but Nicole shot her down. The bells echoed through the trees; it would have been difficult to find it, especially with her ankle. Georgia's heat was not helping her predicament.

"I need to sit down," Nicole uttered in pain before sliding down a tree. Her ankle was throbbing worse than it was moments ago. Nicole could deal with pain, but at that moment, she wished she could revert back to her old self. She wished she could have a gram of weed to ease her pain. Nicole mentally scolded herself for thinking about that -- she hadn't thought about that for years.

"Are you okay?" Sophia whispered to her friend.

Nicole nodded as her green eyes started to droop from the lack of sleep. "I just need a break," she whispered back.

"Nikki, please don't go to sleep," Sophia pleaded nervously. Both of them were getting dehydrated and hungry. They would need to find a place to stay for the night -- they needed to rest up.

Nicole deeply exhaled and opened her eyes. They were bloodshot and watery. The back of them ached. Nicole wanted to sleep, but she couldn't. She knew that she had to get Sophia somewhere safe for the night.

With a groan, Nicole pushed herself up using the tree and her bat. "C'mon," she rasped. Sophia wrapped her arm around Nicole's waist, helping her again.

"Do you think we'll make it back tonight?" Sophia questioned, glancing up to a tired Nicole for half a second. She didn't know what else to say.

"I don't know, Sophia," Nicole snapped. "I don't know, okay?" Nicole felt tears rise in the back of her throat. She wanted her daughter. She wanted to sleep. She wanted her family. She wanted Daryl.

Nicole flinched when a single gunshot rang through the trees. "What the hell?" she whispered, pausing for a moment.

"Maybe it's Rick or Shane!" Sophia exclaimed in excitement. Nicole scolded her for being so loud.

"Maybe," Nicole murmured. "We need to find a place to stay. I can't walk much longer." Sophia's eyes pleaded for her to keep going. She missed her mom.

"You can't keep going?" Sophia asked as they continued limping forward.

Nicole looked up to the sky. The sun was no longer shining above them. That's what told Nicole that nightfall was not too far away. "By the time we get to the highway, Sophia, it will be pitch black," Nicole tried to explain. "We'll find a place for the night and we will get home in the morning."

Sophia stared her for a moment. "Promise?" she asked, holding out her pinky.

Nicole chuckled before taking the girl's pinky with her own. "I promise."

The two found a small rock formation. It was basically a miniature cave. "We can stay here for the night," Nicole told the girl.

"There's nowhere else?" Sophia whispered. The crickets started to chirp as the sun set below the treeline.

Nicole sighed and limped inside it. "There is nowhere else unless you want to trip over yourself all night," she sighed as she slid down the inside.

Sophia hesitated, glancing out toward the direction they were going. She huffed, before wandering inside. She sat down across from Nicole.

"I'm sorry," Sophia whispered. She pulled her knees up to her chest and tucked her chin into her kneecaps.

"Why're you sorry, love?" Nicole questioned, pulling her bat across her legs. She was trying to keep her ankle as straight as possible.

"For running off," Sophia replied. Tears filled her big brown eyes. "If I hadn't run off, we wouldn't be lost."

"Sweetie, it's not your fault." Nicole wanted to move closer to the girl, but she couldn't get up. "We would have been home if I hadn't been a klutz." They both giggled at each other.

"Nikki," Sophia chirped as she glanced up to the older woman. "Thank you for protecting me."

A smile crossed Nicole's face. "It's what we do, love. We're family." Sophia smiled. She had never had someone say that to her before. It had always been her mom that was her family; she never considered how the rest of her group was her family now.

"Get some rest, Sophia," Nicole uttered out, wiping her eyes. It was going to be a struggle to stay awake. "We are getting home in the morning."

Sophia didn't hesitate to curl in a ball and fall asleep. Nicole listened to the crickets singing and some flies buzzing outside. Nicole could see some moths flying around through the moonlight.

Little by little, Nicole slipped from consciousness. She tried to fight it, constantly jerking herself awake. She did that until it became too much and she fell asleep.

"Nicole!"

That scream jerked Nicole awake; she frantically looked around confused. Until she saw it. A walker held onto Sophia's shoe, tugging it. Nicole scrambled up through the pain, grabbing her bat. By the time she got up, the monster pulled himself on top of Sophia.

A loud scream erupted from her vocal cords just as Nicole's bat swung at the monster's head. It fell off of Sophia and Nicole climbed on top of it, beating its head in, one time after another. "Sophia!" she cried, scrambling and turning around to the younger girl.

Sophia laid there on the ground, holding her hands to her left jugular. "No, no, no, no," Nicole cried, placing her hands onto the wound as it gushed out the red consistency.

Tears started to fall from Nicole's eyes. Sophia looked so scared. "I'm sorry," Nicole sobbed as her hands covered with blood. "I'm so sorry!"

Sophia's brown eyes filled with fear and pain. A tear slipped from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Sophia," Nicole sobbed, continuing to try and stop the bleeding. She knew it was no use. Nicole and Sophia's eyes met for the final time. Sophia's small hands loosened from her neck and her eyes faded from life. "No!" Nicole screamed as she leaned down and sobbed into Sophia's shirt.

Nicole knew that she had failed. It was her duty to keep this little girl safe and she couldn't even do that. She promised Sophia that she would get her home to her mother. Now, Sophia would never get to say goodbye. Nicole knew that it was all her fault.

Nicole sat up and she wiped tears from her cheeks with shaky hands. Sophia's blood spread across them; Nicole's eyes watered again when she felt it smear. "Oh my god," she whispered to herself. Nicole peered down to Sophia's dead body, her faded brown eyes stared up at the top of the rocks.

Nicole sniffled as she dragged her hand over Sophia's eyes, hoping to close them. They only closed halfway. Nicole choked on the tears in her throat and she put her hands on her thighs. She took a deep breath, before drawing the knife that Cheyanne found.

Nicole honestly forgot that she had it. Right now, she wished that she could have given it to Sophia. Then maybe she would have stood a chance with the monster that killed her. Nicole heard very shallow breathing and wanted to cry. She knew. Sophia was starting to turn. With a shaky hand, she leaned up and drove the knife into the little girl's skull.

"I'm sorry..." she cried.

"I'm so sorry."

hey y'all! how's your dayweek gone? mine's been okay, i guess. other than school and junior year being freaking exhausting and only a week in. so much has happened, not only to me but to people around me and i got pulled in (like legit, if what happened gets to court, i could have to testify against my friend -who's like my brother- and i don't really want to do that even if he did do it and i can't lie under oath). anyway, my weeks been excited to say the least. how's y'all's gone? better than mine i hope. how'd you guys like the chapter? i debated on whether to keep sophia alive or not but ultimately that's what i came to and now it's nicole's fault. how do you think that going to effect the story? i'm excited for next chapter because a new character is being introduced and i love her so much. okay enough lol, i love you guys! i hope you have a fantastic rest of your day/night. kiss your parents goodnight and smile at a stranger. i shall see you guys on Monday. bye babiesssss :) -erin


	27. 25

Tears streamed down Nicole's face as she limped through the woodland. She held Sophia's dead weight in her arms, causing her severe pain in her ankle. Nicole knew that it was probably damaging it more than it already was, but she had to get Sophia back to her mother. Carol needed that closure.

With each step, Nicole became more and more exhausted. Her arms slowly became weak from the 60-pound girl she was carrying. Nicole could practically hear the clicks of her ankle as she walked. Nicole could hear the monsters starting to fall in line behind her; they were ever so slowly gaining on her.

Those snarls were something that Nicole was used to. She got used to cracking their skulls open with her bat, which she currently could not use. Nicole found the dam that Sophia and her hid in days ago. She finally knew where she was.

The water sloshed through her shoes as she walked through the shallow water. She reached the small drop and lifted Sophia onto it. Nicole turned around pulling her bat from the inside of her shirt -- the only way she could carry both Sophia and her weapon.

Nicole held it high as she watched the monsters waddle from the woods. She shifted her weight to try and ease the pain in her ankle. "C'mon, you sumbitches," Nicole murmured to herself. She was ready to swing, before one by one they fell down with a splat in the water.

A woman stood there with a small, bloody sledgehammer. She had long, black hair -- which was tied up into a ponytail. Her brown eyes portrayed a sense of exhaustion that Nicole could relate to. She had caramel skin that showed her Indian heritage. Her skin was dirty from the muck of the new world and the blood of the monsters that now roamed.

She glanced up to Nicole -- brown meeting green. The two stood there, observing each other. The woman took note of the dead child behind Nicole. "Thank--" Nicole's voice cracked. She quickly cleared it. "Thank you."

The woman nodded, stepping forward slightly. "You looked like you needed help. It wasn't a problem." She offered a small smile. The two's silence got awkward after that; they didn't know what to do.

"Uh," Nicole stuttered as she glanced to her soaked feet. Her ankle throbbed. Nicole hoped that her makeshift support would hold out a little while longer. "I'm Nicole."

"Nadia," the woman answered. Nadia glanced to the dead girl behind her. "Who's that?"

Nicole looked down, ashamed of herself. She failed at her job of protecting that little girl. "Her name was Sophia."

"Where are you heading?" Nadia piped out, taking a few steps closer to the battered woman. Nadia's brown eyes scanned over Nicole and her ripped clothing. She took note of the makeshift support on her ankle. Nadia wondered how the hell she was still adamant on moving.

Nicole cocked her head sideways a bit. "Why do you want to know?" She didn't mean to sound ungrateful, but her family was where she was heading.

Nadia chuckled softly, "You're on the verge of passing out. You're carrying deadweight and you've seemed to have royally screwed your ankle." Nadia pointed to the strapped sticks. "I was going to offer some help," she continued. "Maybe I could properly patch up your ankle."

Nicole sighed. Tears burned her eyes at the mention of the deadweight. "What were you a doctor before?"

Nadia shook her head. "Veterinary assistant. I was on vacation when this all started. I got stuck in Macon."

Nicole smiled softly, "That's where I grew up."

"It's not much anymore," Nadia sighed, playing with the small beaded bracelet on her left wrist.

"Oh," Nicole stuttered.

Nadia cleared her teary throat. "So, do you want some help or not?"

Nicole thought for a second before nodding. "I'm trying to get back to my group. Last I saw them they were on the highway."

Nadia walked forward and climbed on top of the drop where Sophia's body rested on. "Well, I'll get you home," Nadia said as she offered Nicole her hand. She warily took the woman's hand and got pulled on top of the ledge.

Nadia sighed and shrugged off her backpack. She pulled out a blanket and placed it over Sophia's deadweight, before picking her up. Nicole wasn't sure about a stranger holding that little girl, but she wasn't going to complain. The two began making their way back toward the highway.

It was close to dusk when the two reached the steep hill that connected to the rail guard above. Nicole glanced to Sophia's covered body and then to her ankle. "Shit."

Nadia thought for a moment before blurting out, "I have some rope in my bag. We can tie her up and pull her up."

"One of us has to go up first though," Nicole sighed. She hoped that her family was moments away. Even if she feared the inevitable confrontation between her and Carol, she wanted to get back to them.

Nadia nodded and bent down to place Sophia on the ground. "I'll boost you. If your friends are up there, they won't shoot you," Nadia explained as she dug through her backpack for the 9-feet of rope that seemed to take up a majority of her backpack. She handed it to Nicole.

Nicole slid it over her head and shoulder. "Okay," Nicole uttered under her breath. "You boost me, I climb up, throw the rope down, pull Sophia up then you climb up."

"Yes."

Nicole briskly nodded. "Let's get this over with." Nicole knew that this was going to hurt her ankle. Nadia walked in front of Nicole, facing the dirt as she kneeled down.

"Step on my shoulders. I'll stand up when you get on."

Nicole gave her a shocked look, "Won't that hurt you?"

"Nah, I'll be okay," Nadia responded. Nicole huffed out a breath before climbing up onto Nadia's shoulders. She could hear her ankle click as she placed her weight on top of it. Nadia stood up, and Nicole started to climb up.

She grabbed the rail guard and pulled herself underneath it. "I'm up," Nicole whisper-yelled to Nadia. Nicole through the rope down to her accomplice, who began tying it around Sophia.

After a few moments, Nadia finished. "Pull her up." Nicole complied and began pulling up the little girl's body. When she pulled her onto the pavement, Nicole immediately picked her up. She held Sophia's body with remorse. Nadia seemingly appeared as she pulled herself through the rail guard.

Nicole gave her a grim smile, before turning toward the snarled highway. Nicole's heart dropped when she didn't see the familiar RV and Daryl's motorcycle. "They left us."

Nicole's eyes filled with salty tears as she limped toward the area where Dale's RV was parked. Something caught her eye. She saw paint -- or something -- on a windshield of a faded yellow car. Nicole, Sophia. Stay here. We will come every day. Nicole grinned as she looked down to the food on the hood.

Nadia placed her hand on top of Nicole's shoulder. "We'll find them."

"I know."

hey y'all! this was a shorter chapter, i know. but it's main purpose was to reset the scene and introduce my baby, nadia amin. there isn't a whole lot of backstory for her in this book - just bits and peices- but there will definitely be more in the sequel if I decide to post it as nicole and her's friendship grows. anyway, i hope y'all had a good day/night. Kiss your parents goodnight. Be good, be safe. I'll see you on Friday :) peace babies -erin


	28. 26

Nicole slowly sat up from her position in the back seat of the yellow car her family left supplies on. Sophia's covered body laid on the floorboards and Nadia sat in the passenger seat twirling her knife.

"Hey," Nicole whispered.

Nadia glanced back toward the blonde woman, giving her a tired smile. "Hey," Nadia responded as she turned her body to face the woman. "You all right?"

Nicole nodded, trying to ignore the throb in her ankle. "Yeah. Just can't sleep," Nicole told her.

Nadia gave her a look, before bending over to grab something. "I found this in the floorboard right here," she said as she pulled up Nicole's backpack. "I figured it was left by your people."

Nicole smiled slightly and grabbed it. "Thank you," she murmured, before unzipping her bag. The first thing she saw was a folded piece of notebook paper. She grabbed it and flipped it open. Nicole read the small, messy handwriting.

"What's it say?" Nadia inquired, quirking a brow. Nicole looked up to the woman with a smile on her face.

"It's, uh--" Nicole couldn't contain her grin. "It's from a guy in my group -- Daryl." Nicole glanced down to the letter again. Nadia took note of happiness that laced her voice when she spoke his name. "Uhm, something happened to a little boy in my group and they took him to a farm down the road for surgery."

"You guys don't have a lot of luck with children, huh?" Nadia spoke her mind.

Nicole sighed, "I'd say that if I believed in it."

"What would you call it?" Nadia asked.

Nicole sat there for a moment. Her mind spun with responses before it finally landed on one. "It's just a consequence of taking a chance," Nicole responded. "About a week ago, we were given the opportunity to give up, but we took a chance to fight."

"Do you think you guys made the right choice?"

Nicole teared up as she glanced down to the covered body below her. "I like to think that we did, but I don't know anymore."

Nadia reached over and gently placed her hand on top of Nicole's. "You gave that little girl more days than she would have had if you gave up on her," Nadia spoke.

Nicole nodded, before wiping the tears from her green orbs.

"You said they went to a farm?" Nadia asked, pointing to the paper.

"Yeah, it's just down the road. Their names' are Greene." Nicole handed Nadia the paper. "Maybe we could go in the morning."

"Holy shit," Nadia stuttered, "I know where this is. Hershel Greene was my boss." Nadia looked up from the paper. "That's where I was heading when I found you."

Nicole's body filled with hope. "You said that you were a veterinary assistant?"

Nadia shook her head up and down. "Yes, that's how I knew to patch up your leg better than how you had it."

"We should head there in the morning," Nicole suggested as she glanced outside to the darkness. She watched as a moth flew by and a coyote and her puppies trotted by.

Nadia agreed. "I'll keep watch. You should go back to sleep," Nadia told her. "You're gonna need the rest."

"No. We'll both keep watch," Nicole told her. She quickly picked at the dirt beneath her nails. "It'll be less lonely."

"True," Nadia smiled.

The two sat in silence, making small quips of conversation. "You said you were in Macon when everything started?" Nicole suddenly asked.

"Yeah, I was locked in a drug store with this group of people -- good people." Nadia cradled her hands in her lap.

"The Everett's?" Nicole asked.

Nadia nodded. "Did you know them?"

"Yeah. I knew their son, Lee. He was my brother's best friend," Nicole smiled at the thought of the two.

"Lee was one of the people in the store. He's all right." Nadia gave Nicole hope. Hope that if her long lost friend was alive, that maybe -- just maybe -- her brother was alive too. "Last time I saw him was when bandits raided the motel we set up in. I got stuck in the crossfire of bandits and walkers and they drove off in an RV. They made it out," Nadia told the grinning woman.

"Thank you," Nicole said as she looked up. She was thanking God for the sudden hope she had received.

In the morning, Nadia managed to find a salvageable car among the ruins of the highway. It had little gas, but it would get them where they needed to go. Nicole placed Sophia's body into the back of the vehicle. She watched her stationary body lay on the ripped seat. Nicole wished that she would just start to breathe all of a sudden.

Nicole couldn't feel any more guilty than she already did when she got into the passenger side of the vehicle. Nadia started the car with the keys she found still in the ignition. The two began driving toward the farm that Daryl said they were at.

Nicole could feel her heart racing with anticipation and fear. She could also feel the excitement from the thought of seeing her daughter and the rest of her family again. But it was shot down when she could hear the sound of gunshots echoing from the white farmhouse in her vision.

Nadia sped up and pulled to a skidding halt. Nicole got out and looked to the group of people standing in front of the barn. She could hear the shots echo off the trees that surrounded the property. She could see her best friend cradling Carl and Cheyanne in her arms. Nicole felt her eyes fill with tears as she went around to grab Sophia's body.

Nicole held her in her arms before she started to limp down toward the firing group. When they stopped shooting, Nicole let out a loud sob. "Rick?"

Her group turned and looked back at her. Their faces spread with smiles, Cheyanne even scrambled up. Then their eyes landed on the body in her arms. "Sophia?" Carol cried out and started to run over. "Sophia!"

Nicole kneeled down, laying the little girl onto the ground. "Sophia!" Carol cried as she plunged to her knees and cradled her daughter. Nicole felt her heart break as she stood up.

Nicole failed to protect that little girl. It made her question if she could protect her own.

hey y'all. what do you think about how everyone is testing nicole? any ideas as to what will happen next? anyway, i hope you had a wonderful day and we're safe. i just got done being in a parade for my afjrotc class with a sore throat. honestly right now, i'm dying. anyways, i'm gonna go to sleep. i love you all, be safe. kiss your parents goodnight and say hi to a stranger. i'll see you guys on monday peaceeeee -erin


	29. 27

Tears fell down Nicole's face as she watched Carol sob into her daughter's dead body. Nicole felt her heart constrict as she bent down to the grieving mother's level.

"Carol, I'm so sorry," Nicole croaked out.

Carol bawled into the sheet encasing her beloved daughter. Nicole sat there, tears streaming down her face too. "This is your fault!" Carol yelled, shoving Nicole to the ground. "You killed my daughter!" Carol shot up to her feet.

Nicole tried to get up. Nadia quickly rushed over and helped her up. "Carol, it was an accident," Nicole cried out. "I'm so sorry!"

"It being an accident makes it all better!" Carol yelled. Her blue eyes were full of tears and hatred. Nicole knew this would happen. After all, she did kill her daughter. "Sorry isn't going to bring my little girl back from the dead!" Carol stormed past, ramming her shoulder into Nicole's. Nicole lost balance, luckily having Nadia there to stabilize her.

Nicole felt tears fall from her eyes. Everyone watched her as if they'd seen a ghost. Then a scream erupted from behind them. Their gazes shot over to where a young platinum blonde girl was being held by a walker. While everyone rushed over to her, Nicole stood still.

Nadia ran over to the screaming girl and grabbed a scythe from the barn wall. "Look out!" She yelled, before swinging the blade into the walker's head. The blonde girl curled into an older man's arms. Nicole assumed that he was Hershel.

Nadia made her way back over to Nicole as everyone began walking toward the house. She helped Nicole along, but her injury didn't cease Shane from yelling.

"We've been out combing this woods for y'all and you got her killed?" Shane yelled. Nadia cradled Nicole tighter when she felt her legs get wobbly from fear and anxiety.

"Leave her alone!" a short haired brunette called from beside Hershel and the young blonde.

Rick tried to get his partner to stop, but Shane shrugged him off. "You knew that she was dead and you kept it from us."

"How the hell was I supposed to tell you, Shane?" Nicole cried out.

"You could've found a way to tell us, Nicole!" Shane screamed.

"No, she could not!" Nadia retorted back as they reached the stairs.

"Shane! I don't know if you noticed this, but my ankle," Nicole began to spat out as she pointed to it. "Is royally fucked! I haven't been able to walk for days and I could barely sleep! So you tell me, dickweed, how in the holy hell was I supposed to tell you our status?!"

"You expect me to believe your stupid sob story? After all the shit you've pulled?" Shane shot out. "Do I look like an idiot?"

Rick tried to diffuse the situation. Shane kept getting closer to her. "I don't care what you believe, Shane! It's the truth!" Nicole cried out, fresh tears slipped out over the old ones.

"Everyone just calm down," Rick spoke out in a calm tone.

"Get him off my land!" Hershel said as he marched beside Nadia. The young brunette followed him.

"Let me tell you something," Shane spat as he marched forward.

"Hey!" the brunette yelled, before smacking him across the face. "Don't touch them!" She was absolutely livid. Hell, so was Nicole. "Haven't you done enough?"

The girl walked back up and into the house, holding the door open for the crying blonde. "I mean it -- off my land," Hershel spoke out, pointing to Shane. "Nadia, bring her inside."

Nicole glanced to Rick, who held a face of pity. Nadia helped Nicole up the stairs and into the house. "Sit her down over here," the brunette told Nadia as Glenn walked inside.

The brunette walked over to the medical supplies that she had yet to put away. Glenn stood there at the door, staring at Nicole. "I have to ask," he began, "how did she die?"

Nicole looked down to her dirt and blood covered hands and she picked at her fingernails. "I didn't sleep the night before it happened," Nicole started. She noticed the younger brunette walk around and sit on the arm of the couch. "Then I fell down a hill and screwed my ankle up." Nicole peered down to the bandage wrapped around it. "I was exhausted, needed to find a place to rest," Nicole choked on tears in her throat. "I told her to go to sleep -- that I'd take watch. Then I fought to stay awake but I fell asleep. You can assume what happened afterward, Glenn."

Glenn sighed and bent down to his friend's level. Tears brimmed his eyes as he met her gaze. "I don't blame you, Nikki." Nicole softly smiled at him, before embracing him into a hug. Glenn pulled away and stood up. "You know, maybe in some way, this is for the best," he said as he walked toward the window. "At least we know and now we can move on."

"Move on?" the brunette suddenly asked.

"Yeah, it's just like it meant so much to everyone--finding them both, you know? But we only got one back," Glenn told the girl. Nicole glanced to her hands again. Nadia gently placed her hand on Nicole's thigh.

"So now you'll just move on?"

"If we can. I mean, we've lost others," Glenn began before chastely laughing, "This is Sophia." Nicole could feel the guilt build inside her. She tried to get up but Nadia pulled her down.

"No, you sit."

Glenn gave her a sad look but then continued. "The whole group-- this one was different."

"So what happens now?"

"We bury her with your stepmom and your stepbrother," Glenn told her.

"And then?" the girl asked.

Glenn walked forward, placing a kiss on her forehead. Nicole wondered when the hell that happened. "I don't know, Maggie. I don't know," he sighed, before glancing to his friend. "I'll leave you alone." Glenn turned around and walked out of the house.

Maggie wiped tears from her eyes, "Let's get you patched up." She bent down in front of Nicole and lifted up her foot, sliding off her shoe. Maggie unwrapped the bandage around the inflamed ankle. She gently felt it, pressing certain pressure points trying to figure out what to do.

Pain seared through as Maggie checked it. Nicole gritted her teeth before Maggie lowered it. "It's definitely fractured," Maggie sighed, observing the dirt and blood on Nicole's hands and face. "Uh, you should go take a shower and then I'll patch you up."

Nicole nodded before Nadia helped her up. "Do you remember where the bathroom is?" Maggie asked Nadia. She just twitched her head. The two began walking toward the bathroom as the house door opened. Carl and Dale walked in. Carl glared at Nicole as he stormed by.

Dale gave her a comforting smile and walked up to her. "I'm glad you're back with us, Nikki," he said, embracing her into a hug. "You had me so worried."

"I'm sorry," Nicole whispered into his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around the older man.

Dale pulled away, giving her a look of confusion. "For what?"

"For not protecting Sophia," Nicole choked.

"You did. Rick told us that you did all you could," he responded, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Nicole smiled softly, "Where's Cheyanne?"

Dale faltered, glancing to his feet. "She doesn't want to see you."

Nicole's heart felt like someone stabbed it. Tears welled again before she turned and started walking away. Nadia showed her where the bathroom was and Nicole ran inside and locked the door.

Then she sobbed.

And sobbed.

Until there were no tears left to cry.

hey y'all. it's ya girl here with another update! i hope y'all had a fantastic day :) please feel free to vote, comment or follow me. it would mean a lot :) this is where stuff starts picking up. get ready for some major nicole development soon :) i'm excited. any ideas as to what's coming? anyway, i hope y'all have a great day/night and i love you all so much :) stay safe and make smart choices. i'll see you on friday, babies. peaceee -erin


	30. 28

Blood and dirt bonded with the water that poured down Nicole's frame. The water in at the bottom of the shower was nothing but a dark reddish-brown. Tears brimmed Nicole's eyes as she thought about Sophia and how scared she was in the moments before her death.

Nicole thought about the fear that plastered her eyes as she took her last breath. All of these emotions hit her at once because she had been repressing them in order to achieve her goal -- get back home.

Nicole knew the outcome of bringing home a dead girl. She knew that there would be outlash because she couldn't protect that little girl. She tried. She really did, but that wasn't enough to bring Sophia back alive. Nicole knew that she was a failure.

The woman slid down the back of the shower and began to bawl into her knees. Her arms encased her calves and she ignored the aching from her severely discolored and inflamed ankle.

Nicole didn't budge when there was a soft knocking at the door. It opened and an older blonde woman walked in. "Uh, here are some clothes for you," the woman's gentle voice sounded. "Someone from your group found these for you and told me to give them to you," she said as she dropped a pair of combat boots beside the toilet. "They're about ready to have a funeral for the ones we lost. Figured you might want to be there," she murmured as she walked out of the room.

Nicole stifled a sob at the thought of a funeral -- at the thought of putting Sophia into the ground and it was her fault. She had seen more death in the last four months than she had in her entire life. She wished that it was her that they buried in the ground and not the innocent beam of hope that everyone loved so dearly.

Nicole slowly stood back up, using the sides of the shower as support. She finished cleaning the blood from her body and hair before she twisted the shower off. Nicole was left in the silence after that. She stood still, listening to the water drip from her body and the showerhead. With a shaky and tearful sigh, Nicole stepped out of the shower.

She tried her best to keep weight off of her ankle as she grabbed a towel from the rack beside the toilet. She wrapped it around herself and sat down on the lid. Nicole debated whether or not to attend the funeral. She wasn't sure anyone wanted her there.

Ever so slowly, Nicole dried herself off and began pulling on the clothes that the woman gave her. A sleeveless, baby blue button up and a pair of black jeans eventually made its way onto the curvatures of her body. "Are you decent?" Nadia's voice asked from behind the door.

"Yeah," Nicole uttered as she began slipping a pair of socks on. Nadia entered the room holding a wrap and an ankle brace. "Oh, fan-freaking-tastic," Nicole spat out under her breath.

"I am going to assume that you don't like being limited to one space," Nadia chuckled as she bent in front of the emotional woman. Nicole ignored her and tried to pull her sock over her swollen ankle. Nadia sighed and helped her.

"I got it," Nicole spat out. She hated having to be taken care of. Most of her life, she was forced into drug-induced oblivion and into the arms of a man who controlled every aspect of her. After she escaped his choking grasp, she started to hate the idea of someone else taking care of her.

"Clearly not, so shut up and let me help you," Nadia snapped back. Nicole gave her a look of loathing, but shut up. Nadia finished sliding Nicole's sock over her ankle and began to wrap it. "Try to limit how much you move around the next few days. Your swelling will go down," she told the woman before she slid the brace over it.

"Okay," Nicole whispered. Was she going to listen? Probably not, but she agreed for the sake of not arguing.

Nadia grabbed the combat boots beside them. She slipped it onto her left foot before starting to pull an ankle brace over the right one. "This is going to be uncomfortable, but you need to leave it on," Nadia ordered as she then slid on the boot. It was difficult from the layers of fabric underneath it, but she managed to get it on.

Nadia helped Nicole up. Nicole's balance was iffy, but it was better than before. She had actual support on her ankle that allowed her to move properly. The began walking -- or in Nicole's case a mixture of limping and walking -- to where the funeral was being held. Everyone gathered around three graves where Nicole assumed that Sophia and Maggie's step-mom and brother were laid to rest.

When Nicole reached the group, some of them glared at her and others held a look of sympathy and sadness. Cheyanne stood next to Daryl, holding onto his pant leg. He looked uncomfortable, but he wasn't going to tell the little girl otherwise.

Andrea glared at Nicole before storming away. Rick glanced over to his friend and gently placed his hand on her shoulder before walking away. Nicole felt tears brim her eyes once again when she saw the amount of anger and disgust in her group's eyes. She even saw a twinge of it inside her own best friend's and that is what got her the most.

Nicole watched as her family walked away from her, leaving her standing with Nadia, Daryl, and Cheyanne. Daryl and Nicole's eyes met. He scoffed and began storming away with Cheyanne's hand in his. Nicole cleared her soggy throat before limp-marching after them. "Daryl, Cheyanne, wait!"

Daryl swung around to meet Nicole. "What the hell you want?"

"I'm sorry," Nicole murmered out.

"Huh? What was that? You too proud to admit that you killed that little girl?!" Daryl's voice spat out. He got closer to Nicole, which made her tense.

"I didn't mean too!" Nicole cried. "I tried, Daryl! I tried so damn hard to get us both back home! Back to you! Back to her," Nicole yelled and pointed to both Daryl and Cheyanne.

"You didn't try hard enough then! All you had to do was keep an eye on her!" He screamed, stepping even closer to Nicole. It caused her to flinch. That's when Daryl went silent.

"If you feel like you need to hit me, do it. Do what you need to do to," Nicole spoke in a soft tone of voice. She felt weak and caged under her skin. She hated that feeling.

Daryl scoffed, "Just go. No one wants you here, not even your daughter. If your head wasn't shoved up Rick and Lori's asses, you'da be left on the side of the freaking road!"

Nicole let out a tearful sigh, but Daryl didn't stop. "Just leave. No one wants you here anymore. I know I made a promise to Jess, but just leave. It's clear that you only care about yourself enough to survive," Daryl spat before storming off, leaving Cheyanne standing there with a look of hatred on her face.

"I hate you," she spat before running back to Daryl. Those three words hit Nicole harder than anything Daryl had said. Nicole never thought that she would hear her daughter say that and actually mean it. Nicole turned around, tears fell down her cheeks. She began limping back to the house alone. When she reached the farmhouse, she saw Hershel climbing into the car Nadia and her got on the highway. She ran over to him. "Hershel, where are you going?"

"To get a drink," he responded as he started up the vehicle.

Nicole sighed. He had lost everything in the span of a second. She felt for him. "Can-" she choked on the tears in her throat. "Can I come with you?"

Hershel thought for a moment before motioning her inside. Nicole jogged around -- or well, as fast as she could -- and got into the other side. Hershel then sped off.

Nicole hoped that no one knew they were leaving. She hoped that the burning taste of liquor would soothe the aching in her heart. Nicole knew that she was an emotional drunk, but she wanted to get out of her head. She didn't want to be herself any longer.

It didn't take long for the two of them to reach the bar -- Hatlin's. Hershel didn't hesitate to put the vehicle into park and run inside. Nicole grabbed her bat from the backseat and got out of the car slowly. She then made her way inside the bar, where Hershel was already gulping down Tequila.

He noticed Nicole's limping presence and poured her a drink and sat it beside him. Nicole sat down, taking the drink and the two began drinking.

It wasn't long before Nicole heard the door open. She turned her head to the door, meeting the eyes of Glenn and Rick. With a scoff, Nicole downed the rest of the vodka she had in her glass and turned back toward the bar.

"Hershel," Rick's raspy voice came from behind them. Nicole rolled her eyes when he said her name afterward.

"Who's with you?" Hershel asked as Nicole poured herself another shot of vodka.

"Glenn," Rick responded.

"He only came because Maggie sent him," Nicole scoffed before swallowing her shot.

"Actually, he volunteered," Rick shot back. "He's good like that."

"Whatever," Nicole murmured, pouring another drink. She wanted the get trashed and forget about what a failure she had become.

Rick's footsteps echoed along the floorboards as he walked over. He leaned next to Nicole. "How many have y'all had?"

"Not enough," Hershel responded, peering down to his half-empty glass.

"Let's finish this up back at home," Rick spoke in a pleading voice to both of his friends. "Beth collapsed, is in some sort of state." Rick glanced to both of them. "I think you are too, Hershel."

"Maggie's with her?" Hershel asked, slightly concerned about his daughter. Nicole just sat there taking sips of her glass.

"Yeah, but Beth needs you," Rick pleaded. "We need both of you."

Before Nicole could respond, Hershel started to talk. "What could I do? She needs her mother. Or rather to mourn like she should've done weeks ago," he sighed. "I robbed her of that. I see that now." Hershel and Nicole both raised their glasses to their mouths. She relished in the burn that traveled down her throat.

"Don't beat yourself up," Nicole slurred slightly. "You thought that there was a cure. You can't blame yourself for holding hope in this shit world." Nicole continued to drink after that.

"She's right," Rick added on.

"Hope? When I first saw you running across my field with your boy in your arms, I had little hope that he would survive," Hershel said as he looked up to Rick.

"But he did," Rick rasped shifting his weight onto a single arm.

"He did. Even though we lost Otis," Hershel responded to Rick. Nicole wanted to question who Otis was but she still had enough sense in her tipsy self not to. "Your man Shane made it back and we saved your boy. That was the miracle that proved to me that miracles do exist."

Nicole sat in silence listening to Hershel's tearful claims as he nursed his drink. Nicole knew she couldn't fully relate to his pain, but she knew that she was hurting too. Just in a different way. "Only it was a sham, a bait, and switch," Hershel continued.

"I was a fool, Rick, and you people saw that," he said ashamed of himself. "My daughters deserve better than that." Hershel sighed and downed the rest of his drink. He then refilled it and refilled Nicole's.

"Just leave us alone, Rick," Nicole snapped out. "This is what Hershel wants and this is what I need because it is pretty obvious that everyone hates me at the moment." Nicole harshly grabbed her glass and downed it again. She could feel the effects starting to take a toll.

Rick sighed, "We need you back at home, Nikki. Everyone is just dealing in their own ways."

"That may very well be true but-" Nicole choked on tears. "I can't go back there when everyone would rather watch me burn in hell than help me," She croaked out. "Y'all aren't the only ones that are grieving."

Rick huffed out a breath and gently placed his hand onto Nicole's left shoulder before walking away toward Glenn. "So what do we do? Wait for them to pass out?"

Nicole scoffed and Hershel yelled at them to leave. "I promised Maggie and Cheyanne that I would bring you both home safe," Rick retorted back to him.

Nicole scoffed again, "And you're so good at keeping promises. Hell, you couldn't even help me get Sophia back safe." Nicole knew that was out of bounds because it wasn't his fault. Not entirely.

"So what's y'all's plan? Finish that bottle?" Rick started to march over to the pair. "Drink yourselves to death and leave your girls alone?"

"Yep!" Nicole chirped as she downed another drink and refilled it as Hershel got up and started defending himself.

"Stop telling me how to care for my family, my farm," he spat as he got in Rick's face. "You people are like a plague! I do the Christian thing, give you shelter, and you destroy it all!"

"The world was already in bad shape when we met," Rick shot back.

Nicole could literally feel the tension and smell the testosterone in the room. Could she give a damn? Nope, not really. She kindled her drink as the men fought behind her.

"And you take no responsibility! You're supposed to be their leader!" Hershel yelled. Nicole thought about how quickly Rick had taken the leadership role in the group. Within a matter of days, everyone was willing to follow him to the ends of the earth even if it was a mistake. Ha, she wished people gave an enough of a damn about her to do that.

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" Rick snapped. Nicole flinched slightly at Rick's raised voice. She'd never heard him truly yell like that before. He was always so mellow and rational about things, so hearing him snap like that, startled her. It pulled her away from her drink.

"Yes," Hershel said in a sarcastic tone. "Yes," he repeated before turning to head back to his drink. "Yes, you are." He sat back down and started to drink again.

"Now, come on. Both of you. Your girls need you both now more than ever," Rick said from in between the two of them. He placed his hand on Hershel's shoulder. Nicole jumped when Hershel swung his arm to get it off.

"I didn't want to believe you. You told me there was no cure, that these people were dead, not sick. I chose not to believe that," Hershel started to rant. Nicole sighed and downed the remaining bit of her drink. She didn't reach for another one though.

"But when Shane shot Lou in the chest and she just kept coming, that's when I knew what an ass I'd been, that Annette had been dead long ago and I was feeding a rotten corpse. That's when I knew there was no hope," Hershel's voice cracked. "And when Nicole carried that little girl over, the look on your face --" Nicole's heart twinged at that. "I knew you knew it too."

"There's no hope in this world anymore," Nicole murmured, picking at her nails. "All of us know it now," she scoffed. "About damn time."

Hershel nodded his head, "There's no hope for any of us." He turned back toward the bar and drank his drink. "You want more?" he asked Nicole as he filled up his glass again. Nicole nodded her head, and Hershel refilled it again.

That's when Rick snapped again, "Look, I'm done. I'm not doing this anymore, cleaning up after the both of you. You know what the truth is?" Rick got in Hershel's face. "Nothing has changed. Death is death. It's always been there," he said before meeting Nicole's eyes. "Whether it's from a heart attack, cancer or a walker. What's the difference?"

Nicole sighed and nursed her drink instead of downing it as she had been before.

"Neither of you thought it was hopeless before, did you?" he questioned. That hit Nicole hard. That's when she knew that he was right. "Now there are people back at home trying to hang on. They need us, even if it's just to give them a reason to go on, even if we don't believe in ourselves."

Rick rubbed his stubble. "You know what? This -- this isn't about what we believe anymore," Rick paused glancing to both of the people he was between. "It's about them."

Hershel paused for a moment and downed his drink. "Nicole?" Rick inquired when he looked over. Nicole sighed, looking at the glass. She quickly downed it as put it down as the door opened and two men entered.

"Son of a bitch. They're alive," one of them said with a smug smirk on his face. No one said anything as they walking in. "You mind if we get a drink?"

Nicole sat silently with the rest of them. The men walked over and sat down. Rick glanced to the group before grabbing the remainder of Hershel and Nicole's bottle. He began pouring liquor into shot glasses.

"I'm Dave," the smaller guy said. "That scrawny-looking douche bag there is Tony."

"Eat me, Dave," the bigger guy, Tony, shot back.

"Hey, maybe someday I will," Dave responded as he reached for a shot. "We met on I-95 coming out of Philly. Damn shit-show that was."

"I'm Glenn. It's nice to meet some new people," Glenn spoke from behind Nicole. Rick walked over and handed him a shot glass.

"Rick Grimes," Rick told them. Hershel and Nicole sat silent.

"What about you, pal? Have one?" Dave asked Hershel.

"I just quit," he responded.

"What about you, sweetcheeks?" Tony questioned from the bar.

"No, thanks," Nicole shot him down.

"Well, you have a unique sense of timing, my friends," Dave gave a smirk.

"We ain't friends," Nicole quipped out, earning a glare from Rick.

"Oh, ouch," Dave chuckled. "That's Hershel and Nicole. He lost a lot of people today and she's had a rough one," Rick introduced them.

"Well, I'm truly sorry to hear that," Dave sounded sincere, "To better days and new friends." Nicole watched his body language. He seemed overly relaxed to be in a room full of strangers. "And to our dead -- may the be in a better place."

Everyone who had a shot glass drank it. Dave put his glass down and reached across the table to the actual bottle. Nicole tenses when she saw the gun tucked in his waistband. So did Rick, who put his hand on his own gun.

Dave saw the groups reaction and pulled it to show them. "Not bad, huh? I got it off a cop."

"I'm a cop,"

"Well, this one was already dead," Dave responded with a slight chuckle. Nicole began to felt horribly uncomfortable. Especially with Tony's eyes staring at her like a piece of meat, which he looked like he could lay off a few ribeyes. But ya know.

"You fellas are a long way from Philadelphia," Rick said, raising his glass to his lips.

"It feels like we're a long way from anywhere," Dave responded a little too quickly for Nicole's liking. She lowered her hand to where her bat leaned against the bar. Thankfully it was still there.

"What drove you south?" Nicole asked quietly.

"Well, I can tell you it wasn't the weather. I must've dropped 30 pounds in sweat alone down here," Dave said as he wiped the sweat from his eyes.

"I wish," Tony uttered out before returning his gaze to Nicole's body. Rick noticed how he was looking at the woman he almost considered a sister.

"No, first it was DC. I heard there might be some kind of refugee camp, but the roads were so jammed, we never even got close. We decided to get off the highways, into the sticks, keep hauling ass. Every group we came across had a new rumor about a way out of this thing," Dave explained.

Nicole started to tune out these men. She felt herself get a little light headed from the amount of liquor she drank in such a short amount of time. Dave's voice asking, "What about you guys?" pulled her from her trance state.

"Fort Benning, eventually," Rick answered. Nicole had no clue what just happened.

"I hate to piss in your cornflakes officer, but..." Dave paused, causing Nicole to cock her head a bit. "We ran across a grunt who was stationed at Benning. He said the place was overrun by Lamebrains."

"Wait, Fort Benning is gone? Are you for real?" Glenn asked from behind Nicole, who kinda forgot he was there for a moment.

"Sadly, I am. The ugly truth is there is no way out of this mess. Just keep going from one pipe dream to the next, praying one of these mindless freaks doesn't grab you in your sleep," Dave said.

Nicole and Rick shared a look. Were they trying to prove something? Nicole jumped when Dave frantically asked, "It doesn't look like you guys are hanging your hats here. You hold up somewhere else?"

Everyone waited for Rick's lead. "Not really," he eventually spoke up, glancing to Nicole.

"Those your cars out front?"

"Yeah, why?" Glenn asked, which earned a glare from Nicole. He just kind of shrugged in defense.

"We're living in ours. Those look kinda empty, clean. Where's all your gear?" Dave asked.

That's when Hershel spoke up. "We're with a larger group out scouting, thought we could use a drink," he said.

"A drink? Hershel, I thought you quit," Dave responded with a chuckle. No one was amused. "Well, we're thinking of setting up around here. Is it-- is it safe?"

"As safe as it can be with walkers roaming around," Nicole spoke up, picking at her nails nervously.

"Walkers? That what you call them?" Dave asked. He was obviously the more open one of the duo. He almost continually had a smile on his face. That made Nicole distrust him even more. "That's good. I like that. I like that better than lamebrains."

Tony said something, which Nicole disregarded. She was getting more and more nervous by the second. "So you guys set up on the outskirts or something?" Dave asked, pulling Nicole back in. "That new development?" Dave pointed toward the door.

Tony got up and began to walk past, staring at Nicole as he did. "Trailer park or something? A farm?"

Dave began singing Ol' MacDonald as Tony began to urinate in the corner of the room. Nicole cringed at the sound. The two began asking about the farm and eventually Rick shut them down.

"Hang on a second. This farm-- it sounds pretty sweet. Don't it sound sweet, Tony?"

"Yeah, real sweet."

"How about a little southern hospitality?" Dave asked. "We've got some buddies back at camp, been having a real hard time. I don't see why you can't make room for a few more. We could pull our resources, our manpower."

"Look, I'm sorry. That's not an option," Rick responded.

"Doesn't sound like it would be a problem," Dave tried to convince them. Nicole thought it sounded more like a plea than anything. Maybe he wanted to get out of his group or something.

"I'm sorry. We can't," Hershel spoke up, taking Rick's side.

"We can't take in any more," Rick said.

Dave let out a tearful chuckle. Nicole was conflicted now. "You guys are something else. I thought we were friends. We got people we gotta look out for too," Dave pleaded.

"We don't know you," Nicole uttered out, pushing her hair back.

"No, that's true. You don't know anything about us. You don't know what we've had to go through out there, the things we've had to do. I bet you've had to do some of those same things yourself, am I right?" No one responded to Dave's rhetoric. "'Cause ain't nobody's hands clean in what's left of this world. We're all the same. So, c'mon, let's take a nice friendly hayride to this farm and we'll get to know each other."

"That's not gonna happen," Rick said causing Nicole to look up to him.

Tony started to get pissed and yell. Rick tried to diffuse it but it only lit a match. "I'll shoot you four assholes in the head and take your damn farm!" Nicole tensed and gripped her bat, ready to swing. Not like it would do much in a gunfight though.

Dave calmed it down by saying no one was killing anyone and climbed over the bar. Rick tensed and put his hand on his gun. Dave held up his hands and placed the gun on the counter. Dave got a bottle and poured himself a drink before continuing to pry.

Before Nicole realized what was happening, Dave was dead and Rick shot Tony three times before shooting him in the head. Nicole knew why while the others thought it was overkill. Nicole thought about walking around the bar and grabbing Dave's gun.

Rick holstered his python and gave everyone a look. He then looked down to the dead man in front of him.

hey y'all. sorry this is late. i haven't been on my phone much today; my little cousin had to go to the hospital so i went to go see him. it's been a hectic day. anyway, i hope you liked the new chapter. i love y'all, stay safe. peaceee -erin


	31. 29

For a moment, just a moment, Nicole thought about Dylan. She didn't know why she thought about the man that ruined her life. Maybe it was the fact that Rick just killed two men, who could have easily put their lives in jeopardy.

Nicole thought about placing the barrel of a gun to Dylan's head and pulling the trigger. She thought about brutally slashing his throat and watching him bleed out in front of her. It scared her to think of that. She never wanted to kill anyone. But she knew. That in this world, one day, she'd have to.

Everyone stepped closer to Tony's dead body and watched as his blood spread across the floorboards. Glenn was in shock. So were Hershel and Nicole. "Nicole, you all right?" Rick's voice questioned after he checked on the other two.

Nicole's green eyes met Rick's blue ones. She nodded, pulling her bat to her chest. "Let's go home," she spoke. Rick nodded, before bending down to Tony and searching him. Nicole slowly made her way around the bar, making sure to not step on Dave's body.

She noticed the bullet hole through his forehead and mentally thanked Rick for being a good shot. Nicole bent down not putting a lot of weight onto her ankle, which started to throb a little. Nicole grabbed Dave's gun and checked for any extra bullets. She didn't find any.

Nicole felt Glenn's hand on her back and he helped her up. "Thank you," she whispered. Glenn gave a tender smile before the two began walking toward the door. That's when headlights swung through the windows. Everyone ducked and huddled by the entrance.

The vehicle drove past, parking in front of Hatlin's. "Shit," Nicole whispered to herself as doors opened and shut. She tensed when she heard the engine sputter off. Nicole's grip on her baseball bat tightened when voices started.

"Dave? Tony? They said over here?"

"Yeah,"

"I'm telling you, man, I heard shots."

Nicole slammed her eyes shut in frustration, leaning her head back against the wood. When she opened then, she peered over to Rick, who had a worried look on his face.

"I saw roamers two streets over. Might be more around here."

"It's hot. We gotta get outta here."

"Dave! Tony!"

"Shut up, you idiot! You wanna attract 'em? Just stick close. We're gonna find 'em."

Floorboards creaked from the porch as Nicole pulled out Dave's gun with her right hand. In a few seconds, she checked the amount of ammo and put the clip back in. She watched as one of the men's shadows cast through the dusty, glass door.

"Dude, he said to stay close."

"Tony."

The four of them sat in silence, waiting for a sign that it was clear. Everyone shared nervous looks, as if they may not get out of this. Nicole warily looked through the fabric that covered the windows. The others followed suit.

When Nicole pulled herself away, she met Rick's eyes. He held a sense of determination and anger, as well as fear, in them. Rick broke eye contact and stood up to get a better view. He then bent down and crouched over to the other two men. Nicole would have done that, but she feared that her ankle couldn't handle the pressure.

The men stood up and Rick motioned for Nicole to follow. She began to get up, but then, shots fired and everyone dropped back down. "Shit," Nicole whispered, hearing the click in her ankle from the sudden jolt down.

"What happened?"

"Roamers. I nailed them."

"They disappeared but their car's still there."

"I cleared those buildings. You guys get this one?"

Nicole's heart began to race. She assumed that they were talking about the bar. Nicole laid her bat across her lap and gripped tightly onto the pistol in her hand.

"No."

"Me neither."

"We're looking for Dave and Tony and no one checks the damn bar?"

Nicole tensed and aimed her gun as she heard footsteps travel up the wooden foundation. She was ready to shoot when one of the men began to push open the bar door. Before it opened too far, Glenn jumped in front of it and pushed it shut. Nicole didn't know whether to thank him or scold him.

"What?"

"Someone pushed it shut. There's someone in there." Nicole saw the worried look on Rick's face as one of the men yelled, "Yo, is someone in there?" Rick glanced around to his friends. It was pretty evident that he wasn't sure what to do. "Yo, if someone's in there, we don't want no trouble. We're just looking for our friends."

Nicole couldn't help but get a little antsy. She shifted herself onto her knees with her bat on one side. She got ready to run if need be.

"What do we do?"

"Bum rush the door?"

"No, we don't know how many are there. Just relax."

The man who had been yelling started again. "We don't want any trouble. We're just looking for our friends." Nicole glimpsed to each of the bodies in the bar. "If something happened, tell us. This place is crawling with corpses. If you can help us not get killed, I'd appreciate it."

Nicole saw the look on Rick's face. She knew what he was thinking. "Rick, no," Nicole whispered to her friend. He gave her a look as if to apologize.

"They drew on us!" Rick called out. Nicole sighed and tossed her head back. Why did she think he'd listen? That's a good question that she wished she knew the answer to.

Hershel gave him a look of loathing. Nicole didn't blame him. They should've slipped out the back ran for the car while they weren't expecting it. Nicole cringed as she heard footsteps come back to the door.

"Dave and Tony in there? They alive?"

Nicole tried to take a deep breath. She could only hope that this wouldn't end in tears. "No!" Rick called out.

"They killed Dave and Tony."

"C' mon, man, let's go."

"No, I'm not leaving, I'm not telling Jane. I'm not gonna go back and tell them that Dave and Tony got shot by some assholes in a bar."

"Your friends drew on us! They gave us no choice!" Rick shouted. Nicole wanted to smack him upside the head. She knew that she'd follow him to the end of the earth, but right now, she really really wanted him to shut up. "I'm sure we've all lost enough people, done things we wish we didn't have to, but it's like that now. You know that!"

Nicole clutched her gun and bat tightly. "So let's just chalk this up to what it was -- wrong place, wrong--" Rick got cut off by guns being shot and windows breaking. Rick stood up and shot out of the window. "Get out of here! Go!"

Nicole scrambled up, using her bat as a sense of support. She limped toward the bar, ducking behind it as a bullet flew through her left shoulder. "Shit!" She cried, clutching her arm.

Hershel slid Glenn his shotgun, before retreating back to his spot. The men stopped firing. Nicole could feel blood seep through the brand new shirt she got just hours before.

"Nicole," Hershel whispered. "You all right?"

"Yeah, other than the bullet hole in my shoulder and a fracture in my ankle," she chuckled out before taking a deep breath and leaning her head against the bar.

"Did it go through?" Hershel asked, holding his gun up.

"What?" Nicole perked her head up, glancing over to the older man.

"Did the bullet go through?" he repeated himself, peering over the corner.

Nicole tugged her shirt and bra strap down her arm, examining the gauging hole. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good, I can patch it up when we get home," Hershel responded as the sounds of bullets from Rick's gun clanged on the ground.

"Hey!" Rick called. Nicole cringed as she held her new wound. Nicole wondered how this kept happening to her -- how she kept getting injured. "We all know this is not gonna end well!" Rick continued as he reloaded his weapon. "There's nothing in it for any of us! You guys just -- just back off, no one else gets hurt!"

Nicole peeped over the edge of the bar, noticing Glenn huddled beside a piano. She got worried that they may not be getting out of here. There was a loud clang from outside. Nicole instantly aimed toward the back door. She watched as Glenn ran to the back and go through the door. Nicole called for him in a whisper, but she got ignored.

It was a tense silence until Glenn's shotgun went off. "Glenn!" Nicole called as Rick darted over to where Hershel was hiding. Nicole held her bat and used it in an attempt to stand up.

"I-- I'm all right. I'm all right," Glenn hollered back to his groups. Nicole sighed in relief that her friend was still safe. Rick motioned for her to stay still.

"Nicole and I will hold them here. You cover Glenn," Rick whispered to Hershel. Nicole nodded as she lowered herself back to the ground. "See if you can make it to your car. Tell him-- tell him to pull up back," Rick said as he looked over to his injured blonde friend. "Nicole can't run very far. We need to get the hell out of here."

"You want me to cover Glenn?" Hershel asked, confirming Rick's request. Nicole glanced over the edge toward the door.

"You missed all that gun training. It could've come in handy now," Rick stated as he turned to Hershel.

"Nah," Hershel began reloading the shotgun in his possession. "I can shoot. I just don't like to." Hershel made his way to where Glenn was.

Nicole and Rick made eye contact.

"How're you holding up?" Rick asked, gripping his weapon tighter.

"Holding on. You?" Nicole leaned her head back on the counter.

"Holding on." Rick shot a small smile to his friend before gunshots went off out back. He scrambled over to Nicole and helped her up. The two made their way toward the back; Rick ran while Nicole limped as fast as she could. Nicole made her way down the steps, which creaked at every step.

"He must've hit Glenn," Hershel's voice announced. Nicole instantly picked up her pace.

"Where is he?" she demanded as she wormed her way between the two men.

"He's behind the dumpster," Hershel told her.

Nicole stepped forward, disregarding what Hershel was saying. Nicole limped forward to the dumpster, "Glenn, you okay?" When Nicole didn't get an answer, she kept going. "Glenn, are you hit?"

She approached the corner of the dumpster, seeing a shocked Glenn sitting there. He shook his head. "He's okay," Nicole told the others before going to her friend. "You scared the hell outta me, Peach." She took him into a hug as she crouched beside him.

"Scared me too," he panted. Sweat dripped down his terrified face.

"You'll be okay, Peach. The car's right there," Nicole whispered to him as she pulled away. "We're almost home." Glenn nodded frantically. "You good?"

"I'm good," he whispered as they started to get up.

"C' mon," she whispered as they rounded the dumpster. Gunshots flew and Nicole pushed her friend back to cover. "Shit--" she sighed.

Nicole could hear tires squealing and peaked around the corner. She watched as a white truck pulled up to where a boy was sitting with a sniper rifle.

"Let's get outta here! Roamers all over the place! Hurry up!"

"What about Sean?"

"They shot him. We gotta go. Roamers are everywhere."

"We're leaving?"

"Jump!"

Nicole saw the boy move closer to the edge.

"Hurry up! Jump already!"

The boy jumped and misplaced his footing. Screams soon erupted from his throat, making Nicole cringe. She had to help him. The boy's friend hollered something but then sped off despite his pleas.

"Get Rick and Hershel," Nicole commanded Glenn before limp-running toward the crying boy. Nicole reached where the boy was -- his leg speared by the sharp point of a fence. "Hey, dude. I'm Nicole, I'm gonna try to help you. Okay?"

"Thank you, thank you," the boy cried. Nicole grabbed the boy's pant leg and ripped it open. She shifted her weight from the right side and thought for a moment. Nicole got startled when Hershel appeared beside her.

"Nicole, we have to go," he told her. The boy began pleading.

"No no, please don't leave me, please," he cried.

"I'm sorry, son, we have to go," Hershel said. "Nicole, we have to go, now."

"Hershel, we can't just leave him," Nicole told him. "He's just a kid! A scared kid."

"She's right, we can't leave him," Rick stated as he maneuvered beside Nicole.

"He was just shooting at us!" Glenn shouted.

"He's younger than you, Glenn! He's a freaking kid!" Nicole shot back. The boy was crying behind her. She felt her heart clench for him. Nicole didn't know why she was so adamant about saving him. Maybe because she could relate, or maybe because he was barely older than the kids she used to teach.

"Nikki, this place is crawling with walkers!" Glenn screamed toward the two.

Nicole turned around as Rick yelled to Glenn. She examined his kneecap and pulled out her knife. "The fence went clean through, Nicole. There's no way we can get the leg off in one piece," Hershel told the persistent blonde.

Glenn grabbed onto the fence and started shaking it. "Glenn, stop!" Nicole cried, grabbing her knife tightly.

"Shut up or I will shoot you!" Rick told the boy. Nicole heard Hershel and what he was saying about giving him mercy.

"No! We are not doing that." Nicole turned to the boy. "Please, be quiet. I'm trying to help you."

The boy kept crying, softer, but he kept crying. Glenn grabbed a hold of the boy's leg. "Shut up," he told him. Hershel kept on trying to be humane.

"Can we take the leg off?" Nicole suddenly asked. "I have a knife." Everyone paused and stared at Nicole. Even the boy went quiet.

"That hatchet still in the car?" Rick asked. Glenn shook his head.

The boy began pleading for them to not take his leg off.

"It's either that or be walker food, buddy. I'd choose the first one," Nicole quipped out.

"I'll have to sever the ligaments below the kneecap," Hershel said as he began taking off his shirt. "Cut above the tibia. He's going to lose his lower leg." Nicole moved beside the boy, taking his hand into her own bloody ones. She almost forgot about the hole in her shoulder.

"When we get out of here, we need to find something to cauterize it," Nicole announced as she anxiously shifted her weight from her throbbing ankle.

"All right, no choice. Hurry up," Rick said as he walked close to Nicole. "Help Hershel."

Nicole nodded and moved close to Hershel, steadying the boy's leg. "Glenn, grab that stick." The Korean grabbed it and moved placed it onto the dumpster. Hershel grabbed it and use it to straighten his leg.

"Guys! Walkers!" Glenn yelled, before shooting.

"Hurry up!" Rick shouted as Nicole handed Hershel her knife. She looked up when she saw Rick do it. Walkers were everywhere. Rick walked forward, shooting two of them. "Hershel, how are we doing over there?"

"Nicole, hold him down!" Hershel called and Nicole moved to hold down his leg.

The boy kept pleading for them to spare his leg. Then Glenn started to yell, "Come on, we gotta go! I'm almost out of ammo!"

Nicole got tense. Maybe they would have to leave him. "We don't have much time! Come on, we've gotta go!" Glenn pleaded from behind them.

"Hershel, do it now!" Rick screamed as he came back. "Come on, Hershel!"

"There's no time!" Hershel yelled at Rick. The kid began crying and Hershel got off, leaving Nicole there.

With a split second to think, Nicole grabbed the boys leg. "I'm sorry," she said before yanking the boys leg up and off the arrow-headed fence top. The kid let out a scream. Everyone stared at Nicole. "Help me!"

Rick and Glenn run over and grab the now unconscious boy. "Let's go!" Nicole called out, grabbing her bat from the brick wall beside her. Everyone ran to the red van that Hershel and Nicole drove in. Rick and Glenn shoved the boy into the middle of the back seat. Nicole and Glenn jumped in beside him and Hershel got in the passenger.

Rick rounded front and jumped in the driver's seat, wasting no time starting it up and blazing from the now walker-infested town. Nicole watched as everything passed by. She watched the faces of the monsters as they zoomed past.

Nicole felt a stinging in her shoulder and clutched it. The crusted blood on her hands got covered with new. She realized that she caused it to start bleeding again. Hershel looked back to them, noticing Nicole's shoulder.

"Rick, take the next right," he told the driver.

Rick glanced over to the older man, "Why?"

"Nicole needs to be patched up and we all need a place to stay for the night," Hershel told him. Rick nodded his head before turning. Hershel navigated until they pulled up to a Dollar General.

"What are we going to get from a Dollar General?" Glenn asked as Rick parked the car. The older man looked back to him and said nothing. They each got out of the car.

"Nicole, stay with him while we clear the building," Rick told the injured woman. Nicole nodded and watched as the men made their way inside the store.

The boy began to groan beside her. He was waking up. "Hey," Nicole whispered, causing the teen to jump. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

The boy looked around the vehicle and outside. "Where are we?"

"We're holding up here for the night," Nicole told him. The boy nodded, trying to ignore the throb in his kneecap. "What's your name, son?"

The boy examined Nicole when she wasn't paying attention. She watched for her friends to exit the building. "I'm Randall," the boy, Randall, told her.

"I'm Nicole," she said with a gentle smile. It wasn't a second later that Glenn ran up to her door.

"Clear, c' mon." He opened the door and helped her out. Nicole began limping inside the building, using her bat as a crutch still. Glenn grabbed Randall and led him inside.

Rick watched as Nicole reached the door. He helped her walk in and helped her sit up on the counter where the cash register was. "Hershel is going to patch you up as best as he can," he told her.

Hershel walked over with a first-aid kit and dental floss. "I couldn't find a thread, so this will have to hold up until morning," Hershel stated as he threaded his needle with the floss. Nicole reached to the bottom of her shirt and tried to pull it up. When she couldn't, she sighed in frustration.

Nicole glanced to Rick, who chuckled and walked closer to her. He placed his hands at the bottom of her shirt and lifted it from her. "Thank you," Nicole whispered as Hershel stepped back up. Rick made his way over to Glenn and Randall.

After a few minutes of pricking, Nicole's wound had a makeshift stitch. "I will restitch it in the morning when we get home," Hershel told her as he ripped open a large bandage. He placed it over her wound.

Glenn walked over after Hershel left to go see Randall and patch him up. "I found this and I figured you'd need it," Glenn said, pulling a baggy, indigo t-shirt.

"My favorite color, how generous," Nicole laughed, as she slowly slid it on. "Thank you, Glenn."

"Oh, I found something else too," Glenn stated with a smile on his face. Nicole quirked a brow. "I remembered how much you said you missed these when you were in the Atlanta camp," he said as he pulled a Reese's and a Diet Dr. Pepper from his back pockets.

Nicole's face lit up. "Glenn, thank you." She smiled, embracing her friend in a hug. Glenn pulled away and handed it to the girl. "Do you wanna share it?"

"No no, it's all yours," Glenn nervously shot her down. "Consider it my apology for all the stuff I said with Sophia."

Nicole sighed, glancing down to her hands. She picked at her nails for a moment before looking back up to her friend. "It's okay, Glenn. It's forgotten about," Nicole replied as she took the treats he was offering. "But, we are splitting these. We always share stuff."

Glenn chuckled and agreed. Nicole cracked open the soda and it echoed throughout the store. She saw Hershel and Rick flinch at the sound. "Sorry!" she sharply whispered before giggling. Nicole took a drink, relishing the taste. It had been too long.

Nicole offered it to Glenn, who then drank afterward. Nicole opened the two-pack of Reese's and handed one to Glenn, taking the other for herself. The two clinked them together as if it were a toast, and then peeled off the casing. Nicole took a bite from it. She loved the mixture of chocolate and peanut butter.

The two finished eating and drinking the soda, before moving over toward Rick and Hershel who sat in one of the empty aisles. "I'll take watch," Rick announced to the two. "The rest of you get some sleep."

Nicole nodded as she slid down onto the floor. She pulled her bat to her chest and laid on her right side. It didn't take long for everyone to fall asleep for the night.

hey y'all! how was your day? mine was okay; i was excited that the weather was cool enough for me to wear a hoodie today lol. that's all for today. i love you guys, kiss your parents' goodnight, stay safe. night babiess. peaceeeeeee -erin


	32. 30

Waking up in an unfamiliar place was something that Nicole grew accustomed to. Everywhere that she went was a new, strange place that had yet to be overrun with the monsters that now plagued the world. The past few months, she never settled down for more than a few weeks. She wanted safety. Security. A safe haven.

The cold tile of the Dollar General was now warm from the group's body heat. Nicole sat up, noticing the rest of the group standing near the door, whispering about what they were going to do.

With a sigh, Nicole grabbed her bat and pushed herself up. She steadied herself before stepping over the bound boy that was still sleeping. Nicole made her way over to the men.

"What are we going to do with another mouth to feed?" Glenn inquired, ignoring the hand that Nicole placed on his shoulder. "We have too many as it is."

Nicole stood silent, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "We'll figure it out with the others. We need to be getting back home," Rick shot out before storming over to the sleeping boy. He grabbed his arm and yanked him awake.

The sudden action scared Randel half to death. Rick pulled a piece of fabric from his jean pocket and tired it around the boy's eyes. "Let's go home."

Everyone dispersed to the red vehicle and jumped in. Rick pulled out of the parking lot and began racing home.

On the way, Nicole got nervous. She'd still have to face everyone after what she did. She got caught in her thoughts about how everyone would react to her coming back. It gave her anxiety thinking about it.

Nicole didn't even realize where they were when the pulled up to the Greene residence. She slowly got out, seeing all of the people she had grown to love. Nicole spotted one little face in the crowd and it began racing. "Mama!" Cheyanne shouted as she raced to her mother, enveloping her into the biggest hug.

Nicole started to sob as she crouched to the ground, holding her little girl. "I'm sorry that I couldn't protect Sophia. I'm sorry that I broke my promise to come back. I'm so sorry," she cried into her little girl's shirt.

Cheyanne separated from her mother. Chey wiped her mother's tears. "You protected her as best as you could. And you didn't break your promise. You're here now," she whispered, before hugging her mother again. Nicole glanced up, seeing Dale standing there with a sympathetic smile on his face.

Nicole grinned and mouthed a thank you to the older man. He simply nodded. Nicole removed herself from her girl and stood up. Her eyes met Daryl's but she immediately looked away. "Nicole, come inside. Nadia, Patricia, prepare the shed for surgery," Hershel commanded as he stormed into the house.

Nicole sighed and pursued the older man into the house. Cheyanne wasted no time following her mother. Nicole entered the house and sat down at the kitchen table, where Hershel was setting up supplies to fix her wound.

With a little trouble, Nicole tugged her shirt from her body. She allowed Hershel to pull the dental floss from both sides of her wound and restitch it with actual sutures. It didn't take long for Cheyanne to cringe after witnessing a needle weave through her mother.

"Does that hurt?" the little girl asked.

"Nah, not as bad as the actual bullet did." Nicole shot her daughter a smirk.

Cheyanne beamed softly, watching Hershel. "Can--" she nervously choked. "Can you teach me to do that one day?" Nicole glanced over to her little girl in shock. She then looked up to Hershel, who was focused on finishing his job.

"Tell you what," Hershel began. "You grow a little more, and I teach you everything I know." Cheyanne nodded frantically.

"I need to grow fast," she announced to her mother. Nicole chuckled as Hershel snipped the final stitch.

"All done." Hershel put a bandage on Nicole's wound and began packing up his necessities to perform on Randall. Nicole began sliding back on her shirt as the door creaked open.

Daryl stood there, observing her wordlessly. Nicole glanced over to him and then rolled her eyes. "Got something to say, Dixon, just say it." Nicole stood up shakily, trying to not put to much pressure on her ankle.

"I'm sorry," Daryl grunted as he adjusted his crossbow. Cheyanne glanced up to the man who took care of her the past few days.

Nicole's head darted up to meet his eyes. "What?"

"I said I'm sorry," Daryl spoke louder as he stepped closer to the blonde woman. "For all the shit I said before. I didn't mean it."

Nicole nodded, glimpsing down to her hands as she picked at her nails. Nicole noticed the dried blood underneath them. "It's okay," Nicole whispered. "I deserved it."

"No, you didn't," Daryl didn't hesitate to say as he stepped closer. "I'm just a jackass."

Nicole chuckled, "You're telling me." A tear slipped from Nicole's right eye.

Daryl got nervous when he took his hand and placed his hand on Nicole's cheek. She watched him as he wiped away that stray tear. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Nicole murmured, meeting his blue eyes with her green. Nicole leaned up, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for taking care of Cheyanne while I was gone."

Daryl removed his hand from her entirely. "It's what we do. Plus," Daryl began as he peered down to the nine-year-old. "This thing wouldn't leave me alone."

Cheyanne giggled and punched him in the leg. "Liar! More like the other way around," she snitched.

Daryl looked taken aback before a small smile appeared on his face. Nicole had never seen that; it was a good look on him. She thought he had a cute smile.

After about a half hour, Rick and the rest of the group flooded into the kitchen. Nicole hadn't moved all that far. Everyone sat down, eyeballing Rick.

"What the hell are we going to do with him?" Shane spat out to his partner. He was livid that Rick even brought him here.

"I don't know," Rick answered in the simplest tone.

"Jesus, man, why'd you even bring him here?" Shane quipped out as he leaned against the window.

"We couldn't just leave him behind. He would've bled out if he lived that long," Rick explained. He glimpsed over to Nicole, who was leaning against the wall behind Glenn.

Nicole sighed, "Don't blame Rick. It was my call, not his." She raked her hair back as she met Shane's eyes.

"Great, so we got the ex-druggie making our decisions now, is that it?" Shane questioned rhetorically while glaring at Rick.

"Yeah, who gave her the right to act on her own accord after she got my daughter killed?" Carol asked demandingly. She sent a death glare to Nicole. "Karma needs to hurry up and bite you back."

"Shut up, Carol. Just shut the hell up," Nadia cracked to the bitter woman. Nicole mentally thanked her. "And don't you dare say something like that."

Even though Nicole felt like she got punched in the gut, she was grateful for Nadia's support. "This isn't a matter of who I was. This isn't a matter of what happened with Sophia," Nicole started as she crossed her arms across her chest. "This is a matter of what we are going to do with the crippled, 17-year-old in the shed."

"I agree. What are we going to do with him?" Andrea piped up. Nicole watched as Shane reverted his eyes to her.

Nicole detected footsteps as Hershel walked around the corner. "I repaired his calf muscle as best I can, but he'll probably have nerve damage," Hershel stated as he wiped off his hands. "He won't be on his feet for at least a week."

"When he is, we give him a canteen, take him out to the main road, send him on his way." Rick glanced around the group, waiting for objections. Nicole saw Daryl enter the room. He shot her a small smile, which she returned.

"Isn't that the same thing as leaving him for the walkers?" Andrea questioned.

"He'll have a fighting chance," Rick responded. Nicole watched as Daryl leaned against the doorframe he had just walked through.

"Just gonna let him go?" Shane suddenly asked. "He knows where we are."

"That's where you're wrong. He was blinded the whole way here. He's not a threat, Shane." Nicole didn't hesitate to speak up in order to support Rick.

"Not a threat. How many of them were there?" Shane asked in a sarcastic tone. "You killed three of their men, you took one of them hostage, but they ain't gonna come looking?"

"They left him for dead," Rick defended himself and Nicole. "No one is looking."

"We should still post a guard," T-Dog expressed his opinion after listening in silence. Nicole wondered if he was still mad at her.

"He's out cold right now, will be for hours," Hershel proclaimed.

"You know what?" Shane began. Nicole got ready to say something, but Shane continued. "I'm gonna go get him some flowers and candy." Shane began to storm away. "Look at this folks -- we back in fantasyland."

"You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet," Hershel raised his voice, following the ticked man. "Let me make this perfectly clear, once and for all -- this is my farm. Now, I wanted you gone. Rick talked me out of it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. So do us both a favor -- keep your mouth shut," Hershel spat out. Nicole was shocked by how Hershel seemed to snap on him.

To Nicole, Shane looked offended by Hershel's statement. She knew that he couldn't keep his trap shut for more than a split second. Maybe keeping it long term was too big of a task for him. Rick looked over to Nicole, before walking closer to Hershel. "We're not gonna do anything about it today. Let's just cool off."

Everyone started to disperse. Nicole watched as Carol skipped after Daryl out the door. Nicole breathed and thrust herself up from the chair. It took her a second to steady her balance, but she felt a gentle hand on her back. "You okay, Nikki?" Carl's voice inquired as he walked around her.

Nicole gave him a soft smile. "Yeah, buddy. I'm okay." Her green eyes met his blue ones. She couldn't fathom how much they looked like his fathers.

"Ya know," Carl started with a smile on his face, "Now, you, dad and I have all been shot." Carl had a grin on his face. "We should come up with a group name for the three of us."

Nicole giggled, raking her hair back from her eyes. "We'll totally have to think of one." Nicole and Carl shared a smile before she ruffled his hair. Carl left with a smile on his face; Cheyanne scampered after him. With a sigh, Nicole walked out of the house.

She knew that she probably shouldn't have walking around as much as she was, but right then, she wanted to sleep. Nicole limped toward the small, dormant campfire that was surrounded by the tents of her family.

Nicole sat down in the blue camping chair that was near the edge of the campfire. Her tired eyes stared down at the ashy, charred logs that piled upon one another. It was quiet. Nicole could hear the murmurs of Glenn and Maggie in the distance and hear the sounds of Cheyanne and Carl playing in the distance.

"What're you doing?"

Nicole flinched at the sudden feminine voice behind her. Nicole tugged at the stitches embedding the skin of her shoulder from the action. She turned and saw her best friend standing behind her, hands in her front pockets. "Oh, hey, Lor."

Lori offered a smile to her friend and maneuvered in front of her. Lori crouched in front of the woman. "You know that it was really stupid going with Hershel like that." Lori's hazel eyes peered at Nicole. The blonde almost felt uncomfortable under her friends gaze.

"I know. I just--" Nicole sighed, glancing down to her hands and picked at her broken nails. "I couldn't take it. The hatred." Nicole knew now that they were grieving for the loss of innocent hope. Nicole knew that it was her fault that Sophia was gone. She wished that she had the strength to persevere through the anger the group radiated toward her. She wished that she could bring Sophia back.

"Nikki," Lori whispered before embracing her best friend in a soft hug. "We could never hate you."

Nicole would have believed Lori if only she didn't hate herself.

hey y'all! how'd you like this chapter? do you think that the group should be more lenient with nicole or do you think that they shouldn't? anyway, after this chapter there is only eight more chapters (which is crazy) and shits gonna start happening :) do you think you're ready for it? anyway, thank you so much for reading babies! i love you all so much. anyway, i'll see you guys on monday! be safe this weekend, make good choices, especially if you're celebrating labor day :) love y'all peaceee -erin


	33. authors note

hey guys. i'm so sorry that I quit updating on here. fanfiction . net wasn't working on my phone or my computer, idk why, but it wasn't. so, i am going to be uploading the remaining chapters throughout the day, because i think you guys deserve that after my disappearance. also, I didn't notice this before, but i uploaded a chapter and it was the wrong one. i messed up, so I'm going to publish the actual chapter 31 and 32(which was the one y'all read) and then publish the rest. thank you guys so much for being patient with me.


	34. 31

It would have been any other day if it wasn't the day that they were going to exile an injured 17-year-old. Nicole's average day hadn't changed all that much since the beginning of this monstrous outbreak. It still held the same morals; except now, she had more people to care for than just herself and her daughter.

Wake up.

Keep her family healthy and alive.

Survive.

Sleep.

Repeat.

Nicole seemed to value this daily grind every spare second. Before she met Daryl and the rest of the group, she only cared about Cheyanne's wellbeing. Now? She would rather die than put any of these people -- her family -- in danger.

Nicole knew that she had made some mistakes. Hell, her entire life seemed to be consistent of mistakes but each one led her here -- to the one place she felt safe. She departed from the linen that resided overtop of her. The past few nights Nicole stayed in Daryl's tent, far from the vicinity of the rest. Cheyanne insisted they stay with him and Daryl didn't seem to argue with the insistent child, especially since she stayed with him while her mother was missing. The bright sun peered down through the trees in front of the dainty blue tent.

Nicole acknowledged the barren campsite and the ashy fireplace. Daryl and Cheyanne were nowhere in the vicinity. Even though it was lonely, the serendipitous chirps of the birds allowed a gentle smile to cross Nicole's face. She loved how happy they seemed even in the worst of times.

She turned her head toward the clopping of horse hooves against the decaying grass. Nadia trotted up the hill on a beautiful, ebony mare. Nicole gave the woman a toothless smile and limped closer to her friend. "Nadia, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Nadia rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "I am here to check on you," she said as she dismounted from the mare and quickly tied it off around a branch. "And to check your brace."

"Per whose request?" Nicole questioned in a sarcastic tone. She turned and limped her way toward the fallen tree beside the fireplace.

"Who's campsite are you in right now?" Nadia quipped as she walked over to her friend with a bag of supplies to patch up her injuries. Nicole sighed and raked her right hand through her blonde hair. Of course, it was Daryl. Nicole thought with a sigh.

Nicole sat down onto the log and Nadia bent down in front of her. "He cares about you, you know," Nadia declared as she began unlacing Nicole's boot. She tugged it off with minimal grimace from Nicole.

"I know. I care about him too," Nicole murmured as Nadia slowly unwrapped her ankle from the makeshift brace. Nadia glimpsed up to her friend with a quirked, cutesy brow. "It's not like that, Nadia," Nicole chuckled out.

"You could've fooled me," Nadia playfully shot out as she finished unraveling the brace. "Okay," Nadia whispered, feeling the back of Nicole's ankle. Nicole could feel her nimble fingers press around the fracture site. "I'd say, you maybe have a week or two until it is fully healed." Nadia glanced up to the blonde woman with a smile. "You'll be back to kicking ass in no time."

Nicole chuckled, raking back her hair. "Who's to say I stopped?" Nadia scoffed and began wrapping a new brace around Nicole's fractured ankle. "Hershel's been working you."

Nadia shrugged. "I'm his assistant. It's my job," she nonchalantly replied as she continued wrapping the brace. "You doing okay? With everyone still recovering?"

Nicole glanced to her nails. Was she? No one had truly spoken to her or truly asked about her well being since they got back from town. Everyone beat around the bush when it came to Sophia and that day. Most everyone stopped asking about it; well, except Carol and Shane. They liked to bully Nicole any chance they got. Nicole knew Carol was grieving, but Nicole wished that she would stop, even if it was her fault.

"I guess." Nicole shrugged as Nadia finished up, slid on her boot and tied it back up. Nicole wasted no time standing up. "I gotta go check on Chey."

"Nicole." Nicole paused and turned around to her friend. "Don't let them get to you. It wasn't your fault." Nadia's brown eyes watched Nicole's dull green ones with sorrow before turning around to walk back to her horse. Nicole wiped the brimmed tears that she hadn't even realized welled. "You want a ride back?"

Nicole nodded as Nadia untied the horse and mounted her. Nadia offered a hand to Nicole and pulled her onto the horse. They rode back down to the farm, where the rest of the group resided.

The duo got off of the horse and split ways. Nadia went to go check on Beth and Nicole walked over to the RV. "Good morning, sleeping beauty," Dale called from on top of the RV.

"Good morning, Dale," Nicole called with a grin on her face. She entered the RV and saw that Carl and Cheyanne were playing Go Fish. "Hey brats," she announced as she entered.

"Hey, Nikki,"

"Hi, Mama,"

"What've you heathens been up too?" Nicole chirped as she sat next to her daughter. Nicole couldn't believe how much both of them had grown since the beginning of this. She assumed that in this world it was a child's goal to grow up fast or die.

"I helped Mrs. Lori do laundry this morning before she went to check on Beth," Chey told her mother before asking Carl if he had a seven.

Carl sighed and gave his friend his seven card. "I've just been doing what my mom lets me. I wanted to help my dad take that boy away," Carl paused, glancing up to Nicole. "I don't think we should let him go, though."

Nicole was taken aback by his sudden statement. "What do you mean?"

Carl looked to the older woman, dead in the eyes. "I mean, I think my dad and Shane should kill him. He's a threat to us all."

Nicole scoffed. "Carl, you realize that he is not even six years older than you, right?"

Carl broke his gaze. "That doesn't mean he can't hurt us. Evil doesn't spare the innocent," Carl sighed before asking if Chey had a five. Nicole knew that Carl was thinking of Sophia. She knew it, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for the captive boy.

Nicole breathed, before standing up. "You two keep playing your game, I'm going to go find Daryl," Nicole uttered out.

"He said he needed some time alone. Check by the pond, I found him there one day," Cheyanne called out as her mother exited the RV. Nicole sighed and searched for the pond that Cheyanne was talking about. After about 10 minutes, she found it and Daryl.

"Hey, hillbilly," Nicole chirped from behind him. He didn't flinch and barely even acknowledged her. Nicole noticed how his shoes were sitting behind him and how he had his crossbow thrown across his back.

"Hey, Nik," he grumbled out, not looking back. Nicole could hear the sloshing of his feet in the pond. Nicole wondered what was going through his mind. He was so complex and it made Nicole worry.

Daryl had a tendency to hide his emotions; so did she. Nicole knew him better than anyone else in the camp, but she didn't know him more than he knew himself. Hell, she wasn't even sure he knew himself. He hid behind his brother's shadow all his life; he even got thrown in jail a few times for his brother. Nicole didn't think that he knew who he was anymore; this world was changing him, and he didn't like it. "You mind if I sit?"

With no response, Nicole moved forward and lowered herself down to sit next to him. She crisscrossed her legs and angled herself toward him. "What's wrong?" she questioned when she saw the barren look he held on his face.

"It's just--" Daryl paused breaking his gaze of the pond to meet his friend's eyes. "It's nothin'. Don't worry 'bout me." Daryl separated his eyes from hers and looked back to the dark pond. Daryl didn't want her to worry about him more than she already did.

Nicole sighed and placed her hand on his dirty arm. "Can I at least sit with you then?" She inquired, feeling her stomach knot up. Daryl grunted in response. A toothless smile crossed her face for a split second before she began rubbing small circles on his tricep. Nicole was fine with Daryl hiding his emotions; they were his to hide, but she wanted him to know one thing. She would be there for him, even if he didn't want her too.

At this moment, there were no monsters. There were no strangers. There was no apocalypse. At this moment, there were just two lost people comforting each other in the only way they knew how. Silence.

* * *

I got a review from AMRS90: hi! thank you so much! that means a lot to me. lori and rick actually don't know the nicole's whole story because she is so closed off. now, they know bits and pieces of it, like Dylan and her struggle with drugs and stuff, but they don't know the full spanse of it. like they don't know that she was raped, they just assume that cheyanne was Dylan's. Nikki is a very reserved character, and I'm so glad that I am portraying that correctly if you are noticing her opening up more :)

Daryl and Nicole definitely have some type of feeling for each other, but they don't think it's anything more than the family bond they have. just a quick question for all of you, do you ship them yet? the sequel, which is currently in the works ;), has a lot more dacole moments than common ground, which mostly revolves around them growing as friends. but yes! Daryl will start showing more feelings for Nicole and Cheyanne. thank you so much for reviewing! :) have an amazing day!


	35. 32*

Nicole knew what it was like to want an escape. She knew what it was like to feel like nothing mattered but freedom -- freedom from herself, from the world, from society. She knew that it was like to be drowning in the darkness of own emotions. Nicole knew how powerful emotions could be and how sometimes, they take over. She wished some people understood that.

When she heard about Beth wanting to kill herself from Lori, she searched for Maggie. She didn't know these people very long, but they welcomed her into their home. They wasted supplies on her that there could've used down the road. As far as she was concerned, they were as much her family as the rest of them.

Nicole limped toward the house with Maggie by her side. Nicole could see why Glenn was infatuated with her. She was truly beautiful. The two made talked about Glenn and Nicole could tell that she really did love him. It was written on her face at the mention of his name.

Everything seemed to stop when they entered Beth's room and she wasn't there. "Beth?" Maggie called for her sister. There was sudden sobbing from the bathroom; that's when Nicole knew and her heart stopped.

"Beth?" Nicole cried, limping over to the door. Nicole flinched at the sound of glass, and Maggie started banging on the door once more. Lori entered the room, concerned. "Beth's inside, we heard glass," Nicole quickly caught her up.

Lori came over and started trying to convince Beth with Maggie. It was no use. "God, I left her with Andrea," Maggie groaned before searching for a key. Nicole let out a worried sigh and raked her hand through her hair. Maggie couldn't find the key.

Nicole saw a fire poker beside the fireplace and limped over to grab it. She quickly came back and jammed it into beside the doorknob. She pushed and it came open. Beth stood there crying. She turned around and cried, "I'm sorry."

Maggie cried, kissing her sister on the forehead as she held Beth's bleeding wrist. "Lori, go find my dad," Maggie cried as she sat her sister down on the bed. Nicole grabbed a washrag from the bathroom and scrambled over to the crying pair.

"Apply pressure," Nicole told Maggie as she handed her the cloth. "Where does your dad keep his medical supplies?" Nicole shot out.

Maggie sat up, "I'll go get it. I'll be right back," she cried before dashing out of the room. Nicole held the cloth to Beth's wound with teary eyes.

"I'm sorry," Beth sobbed to Nicole.

"What for, love?" Nicole tried to calm down the shook girl.

"For not being strong enough." Beth's blue eyes welled and more tears fell from them. Nicole reached up with her non-bloody hand and wiped one away.

"Honey, you are strong. You're still here." Nicole soothed as Maggie came back in with the supplies. Nicole met eyes with the frightened blonde, "Everything will be okay."

Maggie gave her everything Nicole asked for. "How do you know how to do this?" Maggie asked as she watched Nicole stitch up her sister's wrist.

"I, uh--" Nicole began, pausing as she looped through Beth's skin. "I took a few medical classes after I found out that Chey had an autoimmune disease. It was just to be safe. I'm glad I did now, though." Nicole glanced up to the older sister with a toothless smile.

Beth noticed the long, vertical scar on Nicole's left wrist. "You did this too," she whispered under her breath. Nicole heard her and sighed. She didn't say anything but an Mhm. "Why?"

Nicole breathed out as she stitched another time. "I was in a bad place with a bad man. It was shortly after I found out I was pregnant," she began. Nicole paid attention to the loops she was creating. "I tried everything to get away from him, but he always brought me back. So I figured that this baby would be better off never being born than being killed before the time it turned five. But by that time, I was already in love with my baby. So I tried to take my life too."

Nicole looped one last time, before tying a knot on the final stitch. "I gave up and I wanted to die. I realize now that it was a mistake," Nicole whispered as she grabbed a bandage from the supplies. "But it was a mistake that changed my life. After I did that, I went back home, went to college and now, I have a beautiful little girl." Nicole smiled as she patted down the corners of Beth's bandage. "If I hadn't survived, I wouldn't have gotten to meet the strong, beautiful woman sitting in front of me right now."

Both Beth and Maggie sniffled and gave a small smile to the older woman. "Bethy, oh my God," Hershel's voice rang out as he entered the room. Nicole took that as her cue to leave. She stood up and began limping out of the bedroom. "Nicole," Hershel called out. She turned around. "Thank you."

"It's what family does." Nicole turned around and walked out. She disregarded the blood that was on her hands. Nicole stormed past Lori toward the door. She could hear two sets of footprints behind her as she flung open the door. She came face to face with Andrea.

"Where the hell were you?" Nicole spat out, getting in the woman's face.

"I heard. Is she all right?" Andrea asked, with very little sincerity in her voice.

"She would've been if you stayed with her! I just got done stitching that girls wrist," Nicole spat, stepping close to the woman. "So I'll ask again, Andrea. Where the hell were you?"

"How bad is she?" Andrea dodged the question.

"It wasn't deep," Lori responded from behind Nicole.

Andrea smiled at the news. "She wants to live. She made her decision."

"She tried to kill herself!" Maggie cried from behind the angry blonde. Nicole patience was diminishing very, very quickly.

"No, she didn't," Andrea spoke up. Something clicked inside Nicole's head. Her knuckles cracked as she clenched them. Before she could control it, her right fist swung across Andrea's cheek. It hit hard.

"So let me get this straight. You risked that little girl's life to have a freaking catharsis?!" Nicole yelled to the woman, who was now pushing herself from the ground. "Just because you couldn't kill yourself doesn't mean that you can help someone else do it!"

"That little girl had something to fight for. Someone to fight for her!" Nicole yelled in the woman's face. She couldn't remember the last time she was this angry. "I know you don't care about anything else but yourself. That doesn't mean you can put someone else's life in jeopardy!"

"I did what I thought was right," Andrea said as she spits blood onto the ground. She stood up rather quick.

Nicole scoffed, clenching her throbbing fist. "Well, I've got news for you, Andrea Harrison," Nicole spoke in a menacing tone. "You." She stepped closer and spoke quieter. "Aren't." Even closer. "Always." Nicole's lips were brushing against Andrea's ear now. "Right."

Nicole backed away and took a breath. She clenched her fist again. Instead of punching Andrea, she slammed her injured shoulder against Andrea's as she stormed away. Nicole's hands shook in anger and pain. Emotions were running high and she couldn't control them right now.

She wanted an escape. Something, anything. Nicole really wished that she knew how to disappear from reality. She didn't want to be in a world where it was easier to give up hope than to have it. She didn't want to live in it anymore.

hey y'all. how was your day? mine was utterly exhausting and now i'm binging the second season of elite and i have no regrets. i'm almost done with it and i'm dying inside. anyway, what did y'all think of this chapter? do you like how nikki snapped on andrea or do you think she was overreacting? did you like the little snippet of her backstory? i hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. please feel free to comment and vote; it means a lot to me :). as always, stay safe. kiss your loved ones goodnight. i love you guys and i'll see you on monday. peace babiesss -erin

i forgot to update on here last night! sorry guys!*

this authors note from before i realized i skipped a chapter


	36. 33

Holding out for hope was something that Nicole struggled with. Her entire life she held out for a piece of hope -- a sliver. The night at Hatlin's Bar made her feel like she lost a piece of herself. No, nothing outstanding happened to her, but it made her realize that she always had something that brought her hope. Her daughter.

Cheyanne wanted to believe in people, even if they did her wrong. Having hope was the one thing that kept her going, but having hope was dangerous. Nicole knew this; but when Rick and Shane returned, battered with a scared Randall in tow, Nicole couldn't help but hold out for hope for herself, for her daughter and for her family.

Rick and Shane threw the boy into the shed and dispersed from each other. Then morning came and everything was thick in the air. It was almost as if the entire world had its own opinion on what they should do to that boy. The birds sang joyfully but the wind howled through the branches. Nicole waited antsy for Daryl to come and tell the group what he found out. Everyone was on edge because of the return of this boy.

Nicole tuned out the conversations around her until she heard the crumbling of Daryl's footsteps against the dying grass. That sound made everyone tense up. Nicole hated that he was elected to go talk to their prisoner, and the fact that he came back with bloody knuckles made Nicole teeth hurt. She hated violence, which she thought was ironic because she always seemed to pick fights.

Nicole hated that Daryl became the group's enforcer. He was so much more than that. Nicole wanted him to stand up for himself more and maybe even take on more leadership. SHe knew he had it in him; he just had to have to courage to get it.

"Your boy there's got a gang, 30 men. They have heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends," Daryl informed. He made eye contact with Nicole as he continued. "THey roll through here, our boys are dead," He paused breaking away from Nicole's wide gaze. "And our women, they're gonna wish they were."

Nicole sighed and began running her hands through Cheyanne's hair. The little girl had plopped down shortly before Daryl started talking. "What did you do?" Carol's soft voice asked. Nicole wondered for a second how such a meek woman could have survived this long. Nicole was also surprised that someone hadn't socked her; she clearly liked to nitpick. But that wasn't a concern right now.

"Had a little chat," Daryl said before he started to walk away. Nicole slowly got up and began walking after him. Nicole heard Rick as she walked after the redneck. She didn't really care what he said. Nicole cared about Daryl's injuries.

Nicole grew tired of how fast she was walking. She hated having shorter legs than Daryl. He took such long strides and then there was her. "Daryl, slow down."

He just ignored the woman. Daryl kept going until he got to their camp; he set his crossbow against the old brick fireplace. "What?"

"Are you okay?" Nicole asked as he turned to face her. Nicole never realized the anger in his eyes until then.

"'M fine, Nik. Go back to the group." Daryl sat down and pulled out his knife and began carving arrows. He grimaced at the subtle pain in his knuckles. Daryl hated being hurt.

Nicole sighed and walked over to the side of their tent. She grabbed the fresh pail of water that Daryl got that morning. Nicole limped her way back over to the man and kneeled down in front of him. He froze. "Can I at least clean your wounds before I go?"

He nodded and grunted softly before setting his knife down. Nicole reached behind him and grabbed the red handkerchief that he always carried around. She dipped it into the water and took hold of his left hand. She brushed against the fresh scabs; Daryl hid his grimaces.

"You went off on him," Nicole chuckled as if it were a normal thing. Hell, maybe it was in this world. "What did he say that pissed you off so bad?"

"He, uh--" Daryl cleared his throat. "He started talkin' 'bout his group rapin' a couple of girls in front of their father." Nicole glanced up to him; he couldn't meet her eyes. "That wasn't what got me though," he muttered, looking down to Nicole's dull eyes. It wasn't until then that he noticed the blue-ish tint in her green eyes.

"Oh?" Nicole muttered as she dipped the rag back into the bucket. Nicole felt bad for showing little emotion toward that family. On the inside, however, she was like a whirlwind. She wanted to beat Randall senseless even though he may not have taken part.

Daryl huffed a tearful sigh. "Yeah, when he was talkin' 'bout it, I pictured it happenin' to you an' Chey. I lost it then." Nicole stayed silent as she finished cleaning his wounds. "I don' think I could take it if something happened to either one of ya." Nicole set the rag down on the corner of the pail and leaned back on her knees.

"Daryl," Nicole whispered, placing her hand gently on his jeans. Daryl looked up to her; she could see the sincerity of his claim. It made her heart flutter a little bit. Nicole leaned up and placed her lips onto his right cheek. She embraced him in a hug afterward. "You ain't gotta worry about us," she whispered as his arms snaked around her torso. "As long as we have each other's backs, we'll be okay."

Nicole heard a soft "I know," escape from Daryl's mouth. It was embedded in her shoulder. Shortly after that, Daryl let out a small chuckle and Nicole pulled away.

"What's so funny?" she questioned with a smile. Man, Daryl loved her smile. Daryl stood up and offered her a hand. Daryl held a smirk across his face as she stood up.

"I've never heard ya say ain't before," he chuckled before reaching down to his knife and his stick. Nicole let out a tearful laugh before she started walking away from him. "Hey, Nik?"

The blonde woman paused. She quickly wiped away the tears that she hadn't realized brimmed. "Yeah?" she asked as she turned around to meet his tall stature.

"Thank you," he said before turning away and continuing his carving. Nicole's face crossed with a small smile. You're welcome, She thought before starting to walk away from the man. She wished that she knew how to stop this feeling.

Nicole sat on the stairs of the white farmhouse with Nadia. The two sat there making small talk ranging from Beth to anything else. It was almost time for the group meeting; Dale reached the pair -- the last two he had to talk to. "I'm here to try to change your mind," he told the two as he adjusted his rifle.

Nicole thought back to when Cheyanne came over earlier, talking about how it wasn't right to kill Randall. Nicole thought about hope and how killing this boy would ruin her daughter's sense of it. She needed Cheyanne to stay a child, at least for a little bit longer. "I'm with you Dale."

Dale was shocked; he thought that Nicole would have been adamant about killing him. "Why?" He asked as he glanced over to Nadia, who remained silent.

"Hope is the one thing my daughter has left. She's lost everything else," Nicole told him. "She's a child, and I do want to protect her. I'd risk my own life to protect her, but killing that boy?" Nicole glanced down to her hand and picked at her nails for a second. "That would take the only thing she has left in this world. I can't take that away from her."

Dale nodded slightly. "And you?" He peered over to Nadia, who sat quietly.

"I don't think that killing him is right, but I don't think keeping him alive is right either. He's a risk to all of us, but he is just a kid." Nadia glanced over to Nicole, who held a supportive look on her face. Nicole wasn't going to bash Nadia for her opinion; she deserved to believe what she wanted.

"Killing him changes us. We'll lose our humanity; this world may be cruel, but that doesn't mean that we have to be too," Dale implored. Nicole sighed as Dale seemed to beg. He was desperate; Nicole could only assume that the group wanted Randall gone.

Time passed before Rick called everyone inside for the meeting. Nicole made sure to send Cheyanne with Carl and Jimmy. She shouldn't have to hear this. As everyone piled into the room, Nicole quickly found her spot on the kitchen arch. She leaned against it while Nadia stood beside her.

Glenn's voice broke the tense silence. "So how do we do this? Just take a vote?" Nicole sighed. She hated that this became something that they had to do. She wanted to know where along the line they lost themselves. Was it when Jacqui died? Or was it when Nicole got Sophia killed? Nicole wished she knew.

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea asked. Nicole wanted to laugh at the deep split in her lip from when she punched her but it wasn't the time.

"How about majority rules?" Lori suggested, not meeting anyone's eyes. Nicole knew Lori was against this but she was going along with it for Rick. Nicole wanted her best friend to actually voice her opinion instead of hiding behind men.

"Well, let's--" Rick spoke up stepping forward. "Let's just see where everybody stands then we can talk through the options." Nicole listens to the hesitant tone in Rick's voice. She knew that he wasn't sure what he thought was right anymore.

"Well, where I sit, there's only one way to move forward." Nicole rolled her eyes at Shane's voice. She may have been okay with him for a while, but after the shit he's pulled now, Nicole couldn't stand the sight of him.

"Killing him, right?" Dale shot out. He was clearly very angry. "I mean why bother to even take a vote? It's clear which way the winds blowing." Nicole knew he was right. This group didn't want to spare Randall.

"If people think we should spare him, I wanna know," Rick said empathetically. He wanted a reason not to do it. He didn't want to.

"Well, I can tell you it's a small group -- maybe just me, Nicole and Glenn," Dale announced. Nicole tensed at her name. Everyone looked at her and Glenn.

Glenn slowly looked up and Nicole knew. He didn't think that sparing him was the right thing. After all, they did to ensure that boy's survival -- wasting supplies on him and protecting him -- he wanted him gone. "Look, I think you're right pretty much about everything, all the time, but this--"

"They've got you scared," Dale exclaimed to the younger boy. Nicole jumped at the sound of Dale's slightly raised voice. She never heard him get angry before.

"He's not one of us and we've --" Glenn stuttered under Nicole's disapproving gaze. "We've lost too many people already."

"None of that was his doing though, Glenn," Nicole muttered. "In the beginning, the Quarry, that was the result of a herd. Not humans. The CDC, that was the result of losing hope. And Sophia," Nicole choked on her tongue as everyone looked to her. "That was a result of a stupid woman making a mistake." Nicole met the gaze of Carol. "Notice how none of it revolved around him."

Nicole looked up to Rick, who had his eyes trained on Nicole. "You wanted us to have a chance. What is the point of it having it if we can't prove that we are worthy of it." Nicole glanced back to Daryl, who stood quietly as he observes the conversation. "Hope and Humanity are the only things any of us have left. If you kill that boy, after all of the stuff we've done to keep him alive, you wouldn't only be taking it from yourself, Rick. You'd be taking it from our children." Nicole cleared her throat. Everyone was kind of in awe by how much she was talking.

"Carl -- he told me he thinks you should kill that boy. That evil doesn't spare the innocent. You kill Randall -- who is barely older than Carl by the way -- that boy of yours will be the innocent evil doesn't spare." Nicole fell silent and left the floor open. Tears brimmed her eyes and she brushed them away. "So, you all make up your minds. Just know that that choice will have repercussions. Every choice does," Nicole said as she pushed herself from the arch and stormed past everyone.

Nicole ignored the slight pain in her ankle as she marched back to Daryl and her's camp. The sun was close to being completely set when she got there. Nicole went inside the tent and grabbed her backpack. She walked back outside and sat down on the log with a frustrated sigh. She tore everything from her bag until she found a lighter. She grabbed one of the books she stole from the CDC -- it was Twilight -- and lit it on fire. Nicole tossed it into the fireplace in front of her.

Nicole sighed and held up three pictures of her biological family. The first one was of her college graduation, her entire family was there with proud, smiling faces. They were happy that she finally turned her life around. The second was a double family photo -- the Allegro's and the Everett's. The two families sat smiling and embracing each other. Nicole remembered that day; Lee and Nolan kept messing with her pigtail braids and messing up the photos. The final one was of Cheyanne's Ninth birthday two months before the outbreak. Nicole missed this day. She missed all of them. She wanted them all back.

Nicole leaned forward and put those pictures in her jean pocket. She watched the fire dance in front of her as the book disintegrated. Nicole didn't realize that night fell; she could hear the crickets start to sing. Nicole glanced up to the moon; it was full and shined over the small campsite.

"You okay, Mama?" Nicole jumped out of her trance when she heard Cheyanne's sudden voice. Nicole turned around to see both Daryl and Chey standing there.

"I'm fine, baby," Nicole spoke with a smile before turning back to the fire. She couldn't meet her little girl's eyes; she couldn't do it while knowing that a boy was about to be killed not too far away from where they were sitting. "Y'all decide yet?"

"We did," Daryl spoke as he walked closer to the tearful blonde. "Rick, Shane and I took 'im to the barn. Rick, he was about to do it but then Carl," Daryl said as he knelt down to her. "He wanted to watch and Rick put him back in custody." Nicole's head shot up to the man and immediately pulled him into a tight hug. Nicole pulled Cheyanne into the hug as well. Nicole thought everything would be okay.

At least that's what she thought before the screaming started.

* * *

_At 1am, Tuesday morning, a tornado raged through Tennessee, severely damaging Nashville, Mt. Juilet and Lebanon. I happen to live in one of those affected areas. 25 people have been confirmed dead, and there are still people missing. I was lucky, but many MANY people were not. If you live in one of those areas, my heart goes out to you. If your home was damaged, my heart goes out to you. If you lost a loved one, my heart goes out to you. Like I said, I was lucky. The tornado was less than a mile from my house. My mom's work was obliterated, and she almost went in for overtime. I burst out into tears at the idea her being there during it. If you were affected by the damage, please message me, and I can try to help in any way that I can. I am praying for everyone of you.__With that being said, if you weren't anywhere near this travesty, please go hug your loved ones. Tell them you love them because you never know if it will be the last time you can. I love you all. Please be safe._


End file.
